The Debate around the 4-Day Work Week
When it comes to finding new ways to enhance ways of working, both employers and employees are rethinking to give rise to a new concept of a 4-day work week. What once seemed only an idea has now started becoming a reality. More and more companies are shifting to a 4-day work week from the traditional 5 working days.
The Economist says that the main objective behind encouraging the new norm is to bring a paradigmatic shift in the dynamics of current working conditions and promote a better future of work for future generations.
But, does working less mean reduced productivity?
Does a 4-day work week mean less efficiency and effectiveness?
Will this new concept lead to declining profitability?
In this article, I’ll address these questions by discussing the pros and cons of the 4-day work week and how adopting this approach can benefit both businesses and future generations alike.
Why Embrace a 4-Day Work Week?
It’s no secret that undertaking this concept holds enough potential to bring a complete turn-around in workplace dynamics.
Andrew Barnes ONZM who pioneered the 4 Day Week - Global presents a convincing case for a sustainable, profitable future in which people work less, but are more productive, engaged, and satisfied.
You can find his book here: ‘The 4day Work Week’
So let’s find out why the idea of a 4-day work week is beneficial for both businesses and millennials / Gen Z alike.
Working 4 days a week can help motivate future generations in this hectic struggle between work and life. Since some organizations have started implementing the 4-day work week regime, their employees have been able to overcome their lack of energy, creativity, and commitment they bring to their workplace.
Another factor that makes this idea worthwhile is that with a 4-day work week, people are less likely to call in sick or take days off for errands. With 3 days off a week, employees tend to have more energy to work throughout the rest of the week. Furthermore, this work pattern allows employees to take care of their commitments and manage their personal tasks as well, thus ensuring a better work-life balance.
A 4-day work week motivates employees to put their heart and soul into their jobs, eventually increasing the organization's overall productivity. It doesn’t matter if the staff comes to the workplace 5 days a week or not. What matters is how efficiently and effectively they perform their assigned tasks.
A 4-day work week is an effective way to eliminate employee burnout. Working for 5 full days often exhausts people to their limits, resulting in a greater employee turnover rate. Hence, a 4-day work week appears to be an attractive choice for employees who look for an employer that gives importance to a healthy and happy workplace.
Employees tend to perform their duty more effectively and efficiently in a 4-day workweek organizational setting. The main reason behind this is their improved physical, mental, and emotional health.
When employees get the opportunity to live their lives for 3 full days, not only do their mental and emotional health gets better, but their physical health also improves. Also, when employees are happy, they tend to try harder in performing their assigned tasks better.
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When the workplace remains closed for 3 consecutive days, there’s a definite decrease in consumption of all forms of energy, resources, and manpower. This translates into significant reduction in operational expenses for the organization.
Adopting the 4-day work week isn’t only beneficial for the organization and its employees, but it's also quite favorable for the sustainability of the environment. The workforce uses different transportation modes to reach to the workplace, mostly gasoline-powered vehicles. When the number of working days decreases, so does the carbon emission that harms the environment.
Downsides of 4-Day Work Week
With such significant advantages, the shortened work week comes with several disadvantages which is why corporate giants haven’t adopted this work regime.
The biggest reason why many companies are hesitant to shift to a 4-day work week is due to the lack of teamwork that the organization might suffer. When the employees don’t get to mingle frequently, it makes it challenging for them to work in teams comfortably, putting new learning opportunities at risk and eventually declining organizational productivity.
There’s no doubt that a solution for one company might not work for the other. Each company has its specific settings of manufacturing, production, delivery, and distribution. Therefore, while many organizations may reap benefits of implementing this approach, it’s not suitable for every organization.
No doubt compressing the work week takes the productivity of an organization to new heights. However, the opposite can also be said for organizations implementing the shortened week concept. The compressed work week has adverse effects on productivity for industry sectors. Retail is one of them.
When an organization brings a change in terms of shortening the weekdays, it may put a lot of burden on the employees to perform the task of 5 days in 4. Not only it may weigh down the workforce, but it might also add to their work stress.
As phenomenal as it may sound, a 4-day work week doesn’t guarantee everyone enjoys the same benefits. However, it makes it easy for Gen Z to adapt to this new notion as they’re just entering the workplace environment.
How to Start?
Organizations that decide to take the plunge can take the following steps:
To Conclude Things Up!
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that in the coming years, more and more companies will consider implementing the concept of the 4-day work week. However, the biggest challenge is first to implement the regime and second to ensure all the processes, at the least, go smoothly, if not better than before.
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