The 4 day work week is revolutionizing the work-life balance, and it’s happening all around the world. From Iceland to the United Kingdom, companies are testing out the idea of cutting the workweek to a mere 32 hours, with no reduction in pay. In the United States, more and more employers are considering making the switch, with over half of them offering or planning to offer a four-day workweek.
A Brief History of the Workweek
The 4 day workweek may seem like a new concept, but the idea of reducing the workweek is not. In the early 20th century, the average workweek in developed nations was reduced from around 60 to 40 hours.
In 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes estimated that technological change and productivity improvements would make a 15-hour workweek possible within a couple of generations. Notable people throughout history to predict continuing reductions in working hours include the United States Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, Karl Marx, British philosopher John Stuart Mill, and playwright George Bernard Shaw. In 1956, then US Vice President Richard Nixon promised Americans they would only have to work four days “in the not too distant future.”
The Benefits of a 4 Day Work Week
Studies have shown that a 4 day workweek can lead to increased productivity, better work-life balance, and lower stress levels. A six-month experiment in the United Kingdom involving 61 companies and about 2,900 workers resulted in a continuation of the policy for 56 businesses or 92% of the employers. An experiment in Iceland in the 2010s yielded less stress, lower work-family conflicts, more energy levels. The top time-suck was meetings, so to make workers more productive in a four-day week, employers need to hold fewer of them.
The Challenges of a 4 Day Work Week
When Volkswagen adopted a four-day workweek in 1993, with shorter hours and less pay, amid a downturn in the auto industry, for many workers, the four-day week didn’t feel much shorter. They started to take work home with them. They were still under pressure to get work done, and they were doing it on their own time. With as much as half of America’s white-collar work now happening at home, a four-day week might increase pressure on workers to toil on their own time. The prospect of federal legislation enshrining a four-day workweek standard is highly unlikely, as the U.S. hasn’t passed significant pro-labor legislation that’s in any way comprehensive in almost 90 years.
The Rise of the 4 Day Work Week
Despite the challenges, the 4 day workweek is on the rise. A growing roster of companies uses a four-day workweek, fueling a movement that has accelerated amid a pandemic-era reconsideration of the workplace. Spain, Iceland, and South Africa are among the nations that have implemented a trial of the four-day workweek for select companies and workers. Belgium imposed a law in November that requires employers to offer full-time workers a right to request a four-day workweek. Lawmakers in Massachusetts introduced a bill in April that would provide employers with a tax credit if they shift at least 15 workers to four days a week without cutting their pay. In January, legislators in Maryland introduced a similar bill before rescinding it months later. In California and the U.S. House, lawmakers have introduced bills that would set the standard workweek at 32 hours.
The Prospects for a 4 Day Work Week in the U.S.
The prospects for a nationwide adoption of a 4 day workweek are mixed. Eric Loomis, professor and labor historian at the University of Rhode Island, said the policy has faced difficulty spreading from white-collar professions to low-wage ones. “I can see in an office getting a job done in 32 hours instead of 40 hours,” Loomis said. “If you’re a ticket taker at a theater or you’re wearing a costume at Disney World, you need to be there.” The U.S. could take incremental steps downward from 40-hour week to a 32-hour week within the next decade, Schor added, predicting that policies would start in statehouses and work their way to the federal level.
The 4 day work week is revolutionizing the way we work and the benefits are clear. Studies suggest that a four-day workweek can lead to increased productivity, better work-life balance, and lower stress levels. However, challenges remain. With as much as half of America’s white-collar work now happening at home, a four-day week might increase pressure on workers to toil on their own time. The prospects for a nationwide adoption of a 4 day workweek are mixed, but momentum is building. Will the U.S. ever have a 4 day workweek? Only time will tell.