4-day week: A shorter week for greater gain

We're sure that most people have wished for more free time during a hectic week at work. So if we were to ask you how you'd spend your day off, you'd have a well-rehearsed answer that you've spent your working hours thinking about.

What if we told you there was a working pattern that meant you could reclaim an extra day and spend it how you'd planned? Welcome to the concept of the 4-day week.

No, this isn't just a pipe dream, it's a reality for some companies and their employees.

In this article, we look at the ins and outs of the 4-day week, explaining the concept fully and sharing tips to implement it successfully.

If you're ready for enhanced productivity and a better work-life balance, read on.

What is a 4-day work week?

There are two approaches for how to manage this:

With the rise of hybrid and remote working, companies are recognising the need for a better work-life balance and have turned to questioning the traditional 5-day week.

For employees, a 4-day work week means an additional day of free leisure time, which can reduce stress levels.

By having less stress from outside factors, employees are more focused and dedicated in their roles leading to better job satisfaction and happiness.

For businesses, adapting to a 4-day week schedule shows current and future employees that you're forward-thinking and care about employee well-being. This leads to higher retention and lower attrition rates.

Don't just take our word for it. In 2022, 61 companies in the UK piloted the shorter week. Out of those 61 companies that participated, 56 (92%) decided to continue after the pilot, with 18 saying that the policy is a permanent change. [SOURCE]

In the light of flexible working arrangements, the traditional working models need to be revisited and evolved to suit the modern working person. It's about striking a balance between business requirements and employee well-being.

With campaigns to make the 4-day work week a permanent part of the UK working culture (check this out: https://www.4dayweek.co.uk/), it's essential you don't get left behind.

What are the benefits of a 4-day workweek?

Increased productivity

Regardless of whether you decide to compress hours or reduce hours, productivity will be impacted. When employees are better rested and feel as though their employers care about their well-being, they're happier and therefore more productive in their roles.

Also, an extra day off acts as a powerful incentive to increase motivation and drive.

Microsoft Japan experimented with a 4-day workweek and saw an increase of 40% in productivity [SOURCE].

Improved employee well-being and satisfaction

The benefits to employee well-being and satisfaction are endless. Here are some of our favourites:

In our opinion, nothing is better than a less stressed, happier workforce and the 4-day schedule does just that.

Reduced costs and environmental impact

A shortened work week can reduce operating costs for companies. With fewer people in the office, costs associated with utilities decrease.

Additionally, commuting four days a week instead of five can have substantial environmental benefits.

A 4-day workweek can reduce carbon emissions by up to 20% from commuting-related pollution. [SOURCE]

Enhanced recruitment and retention

The shorter work week isn’t just good for current employees; it puts you ahead of your competition for potential candidates as well.

66% of employees consider a shorter work week as an attractive perk when considering job offers. [SOURCE]

Companies offering flexible working arrangements such as the 4-day week model can attract a greater pool of talent because they're showing they care about their employee's well-being.

This goes for current employees are well. Interestingly, 58% of employees would prefer to work a shorter workweek than have a salary increase. [SOURCE]

What are the disadvantages of a 4-day workweek?

Every working style has pros and cons. Here are the disadvantages of a 4-day work week.

Business adaptation

Implementing and accommodating a 4-day workweek requires considerable adjustments.

If you choose to compress working hours, you'll likely run into some aversion from some employees who can't accommodate a 10-hour working day.

Regardless of whether you're a small business or a large organisation, if you operate 24/7 customer service, a 4-day week likely wouldn't work for you.

Assess your business's operations before making any decisions. If you're on the fence, trial the program and assess its success before deciding.

Customer satisfaction

Consistency and reliability are at the centre of customer satisfaction. A 4-day workweek could mean an extended wait for customers who need support on Friday.

While some processes can be automated for the fifth day, the level of service could be impacted. Customers who are used to a five-day service will need to adapt to the new hours which could impact their satisfaction levels.

Potential for burnout

While the 4-day week is designed to reduce stress and burnout, in the initial phases, it can sometimes induce it as well. If you're not compressing hours, your team have to condense a 40-hour week into just 32 hours.

That can cause employees to feel stressed and overwhelmed. With the reduced number of working days as well, there are fewer days for meetings which means that days can easily become blocked out, leaving little time for work.

If you are condensing hours, the additional 2 hours a day Monday to Thursday can lead to burnout and increase stress levels in your team, as they accommodate the change.

Always keep your team at the heart of your business decisions and ask their opinions where you can, to make sure they're happy and feel supported.

How does a 4-day week work?

We've touched on it above but there are a few ways this can work, depending on your organisational needs and your employee's current schedules.

For full-time workers

This is fairly straightforward.

Most employers generally agree that full-time work is anything around and above 34 hours a week. As there is no standard for this, it depends on the organisation and can include as low as 30 hours a week.

For full-time workers, their usual 5-day working week is reduced to 4 days, with no changes to pay. Depending on the business's operational needs, this can be done via compressed hours or with reduced hours.

For part-time workers

This is where it gets a little complicated.

If an employee is part-time and works for 3 days per week, they should be receiving 3/5 of the salary of their full-time colleagues, who work 5 days a week.

If a 4-day week is implemented with no changes to pay for full-time staff and hours are changed to 32 instead of 40 hours, part-time employees should receive a pay increase.

Because of the change, they should be receiving 3/4 of the salary of their full-time colleagues. Without this, there is a risk of upsetting your part-time employees which can result in resignations and claims.

Depending on how many part-time staff you have, this can cost your business a significant amount of money.

As with every working style, it has to work for everyone. If you think it would negatively impact your part-time workers, it might not be for you.

How many work days in a year for a 4-day week?

Calculating the number of work days in a year for a 4-day week is straightforward.

4 days x 52 weeks (in a year) = 208 working days

This differs from 260 days of work in a standard 5-day week, excluding bank holidays or any additional time off.

How to implement a 4-day workweek

Assessing feasibility for your business

Before implementing, do your research and ask yourself these questions: would your business operations be impacted by a 4-day week? How would your team feel about a reduced week? Would compressed hours or a shorter week work better for your business and team? How would your customers respond to this change?

Once you answer those questions, you'll understand whether a 4-day week is right for you.

It's also worth thinking about the changes in workflow and whether a 4-day week would work during busier times.

Start by talking to your team first. Understand their thoughts and whether it's something they could adopt.

Planning the transition

If you're not ready to commit to it fully, we'd recommend doing a 4-day week trial. This can be done by each department separately, or you can implement it to the full company.

Make sure you set key success indicators for the trial, so you can fully assess its effectiveness. Get feedback before the trial as well, so you have a comparison point.

For this to work, you'll need to set parameters so your team feel supported.

Communicating with clients

You'll need to be transparent with your clients, so you can maintain the trust. Share what is happening, why you're doing it, how this will impact them and what you're doing to ensure they'll continue to receive full support.

Make sure your employees include the change in their working hours to their email signatures and add an 'out of office' message, on the day they're not working. This helps to set the precedent with clients and helps them to know when they can expect a response.

Conclusion

Adopting a 4-day workweek can be a game changer if it's done right. To ensure it can be as effective as possible, make sure to check in with your team and use their feedback to shape its implementation.

After all, it's about striking that perfect balance between work and life and creating a more sustainable future for everyone.

So, are you ready to rethink your traditional work model and embrace the future of work and a 4-day workweek?