The 4-Day Work Week: Does it Work?

Yes, a 4-day work week really works - for both companies and employees.

It has been thought of as a dream for people who work five days or maybe more in a week. But, three day weekend is not unachievable anymore. It is the future of work.

There have been various four-day work week trials around the world, such as Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Iceland, New Zealand, and the UK.

A four-day work week increases employee satisfaction, company commitment, and teamwork and decreases stress levels, which means more mental health.?Moreover, these companies contributed to reducing the carbon footprints of their business.

Even better, reducing the work week to 4 days doesn’t decrease employees’ productivity or company output.

Then, how does this dream process work? What are the benefits of applying the four-day work week in your agency? Keep reading and see the how.

Why a Four-Day Work Week?

Let’s start with the basics. What is a four-day work week??Well, you work only four days and have a three-day weekend. Moreover, your salary keeps the same.?It is hard to believe, right? But it really happens.

It is not a compressed work week. You don’t have to do all the work you can do in your five-days work week in four days. The work hours are not compressed but reduced. The employee earns one more weekend day, which can be any day in the week (mostly Friday).

Implementing a 4-day workweek is essential to stay one step ahead as businesses demand talent and remain competitive in the market.?In addition, it offers a chance to attract more talented employees because a 4-day 32 hours workweek allows for a better work-life balance, a happier and equal workspace, and a boosted productivity.

A survey by McKinsey shows that 63% of businesses found it easier to attract and retain talent with a 4-day work week, and this model makes employees happier and less stressed. So it is evident that there are certain benefits of reducing working hours and days a week and increasing weekends. Here are some of them.

Increased Productivity

An examination of the relationship and productivity conducted by Stanford University revealed a direct correlation between productivity and working hours. Overworking may result in less productivity for employees than those who work an average week.

In a workweek trial in New Zealand, a four-day work week enables employees to maintain the same productivity level and show improvements in job satisfaction, teamwork, work/life balance, and company loyalty. Also, employees experienced less stress, decreasing from 45% to 38%.

The four-day working week has seen success in trials. For instance, Iceland’s trial of shorter working hours was an "overwhelming success." As a result, the country decided on a permanent plan for its public sector employees in 2021.

Let’s face it — just because employees are on the clock for eight hours (or more) per day doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re doing productive work the entire time. A recent study on workplace productivity showed that the average worker is productive for just over four hours during an eight-hour workday.

The four-day workweek has proved to maintain (and in some instances increase) productivity levels compared to a traditional five-day workweek. Remember the Microsoft Japan experiment? The company reported a 40% increase in productivity after giving its employees Fridays off during their trial. And when Andrew Barnes conducted a four-day workweek experiment at Perpetual Guardian, Barnes reported a 20% spike in employee productivity.

To put it simply, it seems that when employees have more free time to take care of personal matters, they’re able to focus more at work (rather than spend time thinking about the personal matters they aren’t able to get to). It’s a win-win for employers and employees.

Moreover, fewer work hours increase productivity, as the numbers reveal. For example, the average work hours in the world's most productive countries like Norway, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, are around 27 hours a week – like proposed for a 4-day work week in Pakistan.

Better Employee Engagement

A 4-day work week can help you have happier, more contented, and committed employees. Employees will be less stressed, and they can recover their mental health as they have plenty of time to rest and relax. Then, they can return to work feeling recovered and ready to be creative.

From 2015 to 2017, Sweden conducted a study on a shorter work week. Nurses worked only 6 hours five days a week, meaning 30 hours a week. Fewer hours resulted in better health and mental well-being. In addition, they arranged 85% more activities for patients in their care.

Because employee turnover can be brutal for businesses, you don’t want to lose your talented and committed employees. A four-day workweek can make them happier and attached to your work. In addition, it will doubtlessly advantage your business in competition.

A Smaller Carbon Footprint

Implementing a four-day work week on our nature and ecology is a substantial positive impact. And it is an essential benefit nowadays when the climate crises show up.

For instance, a report published in April 2022 found that applying a four-day week by 2025 can slash the annual carbon footprint of the UK dramatically.

A trial in the US state of Utah showed the significant ecological effect of reducing the average work week from five to four days. During the first ten months, the project saved considerable energy costs and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by closing the large office building on Fridays.

An Equal Workplace

The work-life is still gendered, and women are still disadvantaged due to many factors. But four-day work week and fewer work hours also contribute to narrowing the gender gap.

Research shows that around twelve million people in Pakistan are not currently employed due to childcare responsibilities, and 84% are women. A 4-day work week can promote an equal workplace for employees because they would be able to spend more time with their families and handle their family responsibilities better and more equally.

Another survey revealed that two-thirds of employees agreed that work-life balance is the most significant factor in overall satisfaction. In addition, shortened workweeks enable parents to balance work demands and children’s responsibilities.

Reduced Business Expenses

Companies that choose to embrace a four-day workweek can reduce business expenses. Office costs, commuter benefits, employee perks, and competitive salaries can really add up. On top of that, add free lunches, happy hours, and other charges that foster your company culture to your total expenses.?

In one example, a four-day workweek eliminated 20% of variable overhead expenses (think about the lights you have to keep on at the office). Additionally, the same story suggested a business can save thousands of dollars on employee parking or public transportation costs and 20% on daily workplace perks spending. Even in the world of remote work, it’s possible to reduce business expenses through compensation adjustments and reduced total perks packages.?

Businesses With 4-Days Work Week

Various businesses implemented and are still implementing a 4-days work week and saw the positive impacts on their companies. The typical comment of their managers and employees is that they all become more productive and happier. Let’s meet some of them.

Punch Creative

The brand communications agency introduced the four-day work week to help improve their team’s work-life balance.

They think a more extended weekend encourages the team to develop their creative pursuits.?

It is evident that reducing working hours and days increases company well-being and pleasure without sacrificing productivity or profits. Employees become more productive and happier when they have three-day weekends, and they recover themselves.

Reward

It is a marketing agency that implements a 4-days workweek without any salary cuts.

They say there is a tremendous positive impact of reducing work days on their agency.?“I can’t think of any negatives when I think about the four-day working week,” says the Managing Director, Mitchel White.

Bolt

San-Francisco-based Bolt launched a pilot program in 2021 and decided to make this shorter week model permanent. As a result, the company became the first tech unicorn to try a four-day work week.

Bolt recently announced its decision to transition to a permanent four-day workweek after their 2021 pilot. Bolt reported great success after the initial pilot. The company shifted to 32-hour weeks with downtime on Fridays to catch up on any tasks as needed. The company found that:

• 94% of employees wanted the four-day workweek program to continue
• 86% of team members were more efficient with their time?
• 87% of managers shared that their team maintained productivity and service levels as needed

CEO, Ryan Breslow says the trial had proven that this model increases employees’ productivity and engagement.

Fifth Tribe

This digital agency is the other company that implements a four-day work week.?

The CEO, Khurram Zaman, expresses the change in their agency: “I’ve been surprised at how it’s improved productivity. The team is more relaxed, happier, and focused when they come to work.”

Brandware Group

Brandware Group is a marketing communications agency. It is testing a four-day workweek and sees the positive impacts of this work model.

Jim Taylor, the VP of comms says “So far, it has been a hit. There has been a notable difference in the energy level of our associates, and I think that’s owing to a better work-life balance.”?

Reboot

Reboot is an SEO-based agency in the UK that prefers a four-day working week.

They give a three-day weekend with Fridays, keeping the team’s salaries and rights the same and not compressing the working hours.

Tribera

The award-winning creative content agency Tribera implemented a 4-days work week after their successful trial in the UK.

The employees work from Monday to Thursday with no change in pay or benefits. This arrangement allows them to achieve their ideal work-life balance while still accomplishing and delivering the agency’s incredible work.?

Primary

Primary an online children’s clothing store,?launched a four-day work week experiment working 32-hour weeks in 2020 in light of the pandemic. The company gave employees every Friday off from May to December. By the time the end of the year rolled around, they extended the experiment indefinitely due to its success. Now, occasional work happens on Fridays, but it’s a meeting-free day company wide.

Primary reported that the four-day workweek allowed employees to return to work on Monday feeling recharged. And on top of that, the company’s voluntary attrition rate fell to a mere 7% during?The Great Resignation — a time where employees are leaving their jobs en masse.

Buffer

Tech company Buffer is a pioneer of the four-day workweek. Buffer conducted a four-day work week experiment in May of 2020 in direct response to the pandemic. Buffer rolled out 32-hour weeks for one month, and it successfully helped team members manage their stress levels.?

While the experiment was positive for many, feedback results revealed that some teammates struggled with the schedule change for two reasons. First, not everyone had the same day off. Plus, public holidays conflicted with time off.?This made keeping up with schedules confusing. But since the one-month trial went so well overall, Buffer pursued a six-month pilot of their four-day workweek.?

The extended pilot proved to be a success as well. Results showed that it boosted autonomy from 4.3 to 4.7 out of 5, decreased stress levels from 3.3 to 2.9 out of 5, and established stable happiness levels at around 3.7 out of 5, even in a world flipped upside down.?

Buffer is sticking with the four-day workweek for the foreseeable future with some caveats. Team members who don’t meet their objectives may need to return to a five-day week, and some roles have workweeks that look different due to the nature of the position.?

Elephant Ventures

Elephant Ventures put their own spin on the four-day workweek, running a two-month trial in August of 2021. Instead of cutting back hours, the company shifted toward 10-hour days Monday through Thursday.?

While it was an adjustment for employees at first, the excitement around three-day weekends grew over time. Workers shared that the new flexibility gave them more time for personal commitments and errands. A shift in their meeting schedule (fewer meetings for more focused work time) improved efficiency. Elephant Ventures has since moved to a permanent condensed four-day workweek schedule.

New Zealand made headlines for four-day workweek success

It’s not just Iceland realizing the benefits of the four-day workweek. Companies like Perpetual Garden in New Zealand reported similar positive results following its four-day workweek trial in 2018. After reading productivity statistics, CEO Andrew Barnes felt?inspired to pilot a four-day workweek. He wondered if he would see productivity increase if he gave his employees an extra day off.

It turns out Barnes was right. Employees brainstormed ways to shift how they were using their work time to include spending?less time in meeting, reducing interruptions by signaling to coworkers that they were unavailable and reducing distractions. Outside researchers surveyed employees before and after the trial. They published a?complete analysis of their findings which ultimately outlined persistent themes, including increased focus, more motivation at work, and a more resilient organization, to name a few.

Andrew Barnes is so passionate about the idea of shorter workweeks that he partnered with Charlotte Lockhart to establish a not-for-profit community, 4 Day Week Global to encourage and support businesses who want to pilot four-day workweeks.

Governments in Spain and Japan advocate for four-day workweeks

Spain?swept headlines when they announced that the country would complete a multi-year trial run of the four-day workweek concept in response to the pandemic. The Spanish government agreed to back a 32-hour workweek without cutting pay and invested 50 million euros ($60 million) in the program.

The experiment is among the first to extend across an entire country. Will Spain’s country-wide program succeed at permanently reducing the country’s working hours? Only time will tell.

And Spain isn’t the only country with government officials exploring and encouraging more time off for workers. The Japanese Parliament opened discussions in early 2022 on a?proposal that would permit workers to opt for a four-day workweek and reduce the likelihood of “karoshi” or “death by overwork.”?

In June of 2021, the Japanese government included new recommendations?in its annual economic policy guidelines that companies allow their employees to opt for four-day workweeks.

In the years leading up to the proposal, Microsoft Japan tested a four-day workweek and saw productivity climb 40%. And more recently, Panasonic announced it would start offering a four-day workweek to support its employees, following the Japanese government’s recommendation last year.

Going Forward

The four-day workweek is becoming increasingly popular as companies strive to find unique ways to support their employees’ mental health and happiness. Some of the main benefits of a shorter workweek include increased productivity, decreased business expenses, and a smaller carbon footprint. One way to explore the four-day workweek is to run a short-term experiment like many countries and companies have done to determine the impact on your business. If you’re considering a four-day workweek, consider how you’ll adjust your workflows and expectations so your employees can make the most of their time.

So, you should also consider implementing a 4-days work week for your benefit. The results will surprise you. So, why don’t you have a try?

Additionally, you can see digital marketing positions that promise you a creative and pleasing work life.

It is achievable, and organizations have already shown it. It might not be achievable for every business model under the sun, but it’s doable for most, and can very well help create more jobs in Pakistan.

Some of the jobs are part-time or temp “coverage” roles for people taking their fifth day off, but it’s nonetheless paid opportunities for someone at a time when millions are unemployed.?

The biggest shift in thinking on the four day work week typically needs to occur at the management (upper and middle) levels, so prepare pitches and presentations that are data-driven, have a trial period and an evaluation, and emphasize consistently that work will still get done and people will still be committed to the organization and not slacking off.?

It is achievable, though, and can make a big difference in the lives of your employees, as well as the environment.

Will 2022 be the year that you embrace the four day work week?