Four-day workweeks can burn you out

The disruptions of the COVID pandemic have prompted workers to reconsider how they can be most productive and forced companies to revisit some long-held beliefs. A few organizations are floating a new possibility: a four-day workweek.

The disruptions of the COVID pandemic have prompted workers to reconsider how they can be most productive and forced companies to revisit some long-held beliefs. A few organizations are floating a new possibility: a four-day workweek.

In recent months, a diverse collection of employers including Japanese electronics maker Panasonic, fintech startup Bolt and the government of Belgium have recommended giving employees the option to work four days but get paid for five. Spain and Scotland are conducting their own trials of shorter weeks. They join a clutch of firms mainly in the tech sector that gravitated to a four-day format when the pandemic hit, including crowdfunding site Kickstarter, fashion reseller thredUp and venture capital firm Uncharted. 

While most companies have always had a handful of workers on alternative schedules, it is unusual for businesses to reconsider the traditional workweek for all employees. A five-day, 40-hour workweek has been the norm for salaried workers since the early 20th century, when labor leaders pushed back against factory bosses who demanded six- or even seven-day schedules and 12- to 14-hour days. 

But does a five-day system still make sense? 

Companies with a four-day week option tend to trumpet their worker-friendly policies. Yet dig into the details, and “four-day week” means different things in different places. At some companies, employees might work four 10-hour days (a practice called “four tens”). At others, employees get Fridays off without working longer on the previous four days. And still others might decide to reduce the overall workload by making the days shorter — so a “four-day week” is really still a five-day week, but workers call it quits at 4 p.m. instead of at 5 or 6 p.m.

However the days are configured, researchers say, one finding stands out: Working fewer hours is better for workers and their employers.