Employee support for switching to a four-day workweek is not particularly surprising.
Hundreds of businesses have implemented a four-day, 32-hour workweek for some 8,700 employees worldwide over the past five years without reducing their wages. People’s mental and physical health improved, and they reported reduced stress, anxiety, and burnout.Workers gave their work-life balance higher ratings, and company revenues increased as well.
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According to author, economist, sociologist, and chief researcher of the 4 Day Week trials Juliet Schor, there are two main reasons for the increase in workers’ happiness.
Naturally, the first is that individuals have more time for their communities, families, friends, sleep, hobbies, and health, according to Schor’s most recent book, “Four Days a Week.”
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However, the second element is that employees are happier even when they are working. In short, people feel far more productive at work and are generally happier when they work a four-day week.
After switching to a reduced week, trial participants self-reported feeling more productive than before. According to Schor, teams and employees found ways to eliminate busywork, streamline procedures, and identify what work was truly most important when presented with the challenge of doing their typical amount of work in less time.
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According to Schor, some people claimed that trying to fit everything in caused them greater stress, but such were the exception.
Schor tells CNBC Make It, “people just feel so much better,” in addition to preserving productivity. “They don’t feel worried and feel in control of their lives and careers. When they arrive at work on Monday morning, they feel better. They are more motivated to work. They believe they can finish it.
Employee satisfaction at work affects their general well-being, which in turn affects their personal lives.
“That productivity bump they get, of feeling so good about their work quality, that has a big positive impact on their overall well-being, which we never expected,” Schor explains.
Because it represents a new agreement between employees and their employers, the four-day workweek may also improve employee satisfaction.
Since the 1940s, the regular workweek consists of 40 hours and five days. Companies may offer flexibility as a special perk or incentive when they implement a shortened workweek without lowering wages.
According to Schor, it shows that management is prepared to relinquish some control over how employees organize their time, particularly if the objective is to specifically enhance employee well-being.
Additionally, when coworkers unite to work more efficiently, the move can build teams.
The four-day week “makes everyone super motivated to implement [process] changes, which aren’t easy,” according to Jon Leland, who previously assisted Kickstarter with a pilot program that used a four-day workweek.
“It makes the stakes really high, because you’re not only gaining these efficiency gains just for yourself, but you’re doing it for everyone else around you,” Leland stated in her book.
“This accountability to co-workers is an important part of why people are willing to make the extra effort to find efficiencies, forgo goofing off, and do the hard work,” says Schor. “They develop more team spirit.”
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