Why Your Business Should Consider a Four-Day Workweek

The idea of a four-day workweek has been circulating for a while, but recently, more companies are adopting it, and it’s becoming a hot topic among bloggers worldwide. Working just four days and having three days off is a dream for employees, but employers who aren’t yet familiar with the benefits might not see it the same way.

Efficiency should not be equated with the number of hours or days worked—they are not the same. However, in today’s world, many still believe that more hours mean more productivity.

In this article, we will explore why a four-day workweek is an ideal schedule for creative and knowledge-centric firms. Typically, full-time jobs require 8 hours daily or 40 hours per week. With a four-day workweek, the setup can be either a 32-hour week or 10-hour days for four days. Let’s delve into what this actually means.

Less Time to Work Means Less Time to Waste

More work hours often lead to more distractions, as people seek a break from their routine. More time doesn’t necessarily mean more efficiency. In fact, forcing longer working hours on creative and knowledge workers can have a detrimental effect.

Creativity and critical thinking can’t be forced; they thrive in environments where freedom is prioritized. Employees aren’t robots designed to work 8-12 hours a day, five days a week. It might sound counterintuitive, but to achieve quality work and maximize every second of every working moment, employees should actually spend less time at work.

Jason Fried, from 37Signals (now Basecamp), implemented this at his company. According to him, “Better work gets done in four days than in five.” He mentioned that, just like summer vacations were beneficial in breaking the monotony during school, a shorter workweek can similarly refresh adults who have to navigate more serious responsibilities as they age.

When people have more time to work, they often try to fill every hour. During this time, they look for distractions from the monotony of a typical work environment. A shorter workweek might just be the key to boosting productivity, as there’s less time to waste.

Interestingly, officials in Sweden have been experimenting with a 6-hour workday to increase worker happiness, productivity, and overall health.

More Personal Time Leads to a Happier Work Environment

Imagine you’re a web designer tasked with creating five unique landing pages in a week. If you enjoy designing and are skilled, this might seem easy. You might even work overtime to impress your employer.

But no matter how skilled you are, if this pace continues for weeks or months, you’ll likely feel exhausted and mentally drained. People don’t want to spend the majority of their lives at work.

The current setup in many companies includes one or two days off and lots of overtime during workweeks. This leaves employees spending their free time catching up on sleep. While Western cultures often glorify workaholism, in many Southeast Asian countries, working overtime suggests employees aren’t efficient enough to finish their work on time.

Can you imagine employees being truly happy with only one or two days to rest, leaving little time for family, friends, or themselves?

Let’s look at the broader picture. Countries with shorter work hours often have the happiest citizens, and their economies are thriving. For instance, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Sweden were the top 5 countries with the highest levels of happiness, according to the World Happiness Report 2013.

The report highlighted that one major benefit of happiness is increased productivity. Other benefits include longer life expectancy and lower crime rates due to people generally being happier and more content.

Coincidentally, these countries also have the shortest work hours per week, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2013. The Netherlands has the shortest average work hours per week at 29 hours for full-time salaried workers, followed by Denmark (33), Norway (33), Switzerland (35), and Sweden (36). In fact, Swedes work 143 hours less than Americans each year.

Great Work Satisfaction Means Longer Work and Talent Retention

Why do people change jobs or careers? It’s usually because they’re not satisfied with their work. Many of us have been there. Why did you leave your previous job? Maybe the salary was too low, or the work environment was terrible, but often, it’s because a better opportunity presented itself elsewhere.

The World Happiness Report 2013 supports the idea that happier employees are more cooperative and help improve the overall work environment.

If your company has a high turnover rate, you might want to investigate your employees’ key motivators, which are usually: security, recognition, purpose, and freedom. A good starting point to understand what motivates others is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Provide these four motivators, and your employees will be happy and likely stay with you as long as their needs are met.

A four-day workweek also addresses the issue of high turnover rates. Happy employees usually find purpose in their work, perform well, and are recognized for their efforts, which leads to job security. Additionally, they have more time for themselves.

Moreover, offering an extra day of freedom can attract great talent. An additional day off can be a significant incentive. If your goal is to attract top talent, a four-day workweek is one of the best offerings, especially as its popularity continues to grow.

Conclusion

If you’re thinking about starting your own company or going freelance, don’t overlook the benefits of a four-day workweek. While five days is the most common, followed by six-day workweeks, remember what motivates you and your employees.

For most people, motivation is rooted in freedom. Some work to earn money, while others want to save enough to enjoy a particular lifestyle. Whatever the case, the appeal of a four-day workweek can be a powerful motivator.