A four-day work week would shorten the workdays from five days per week and increase the weekend by an extra day.
The debate about whether a four-day workweek should take the place of the current five-day framework has been sparked by several people. Workers across the world are seeking a more flexible work schedule, better work-life balance, and the freedom to choose when, how, and where they can perform their tasks more effectively.
Increased productivity
There was a study done by Stanford university that showed over worked employees are less productive than employees who work a normal weekday.
A company in New Zealand start a 4-week workday trial and found employees to be more satisfied with their job, improved teamwork and a healthy balance between their work and home life. Employees stress had also decreased by 7%
Better employee engagement
A four-day work week can lead to more committed and happier employees. Employees are less likely to take sick leave as a 3-day weekend will allow for enough time to rest and recover from the week leaving them more motivated for the week ahead.
A smaller carbon footprint
Countries with shorter working hours have shown to have a smaller carbon footprint. Therefore, a four-day workweek can help benefit the environment
In a study for state employees, the US state of Utah found that cutting the typical work week from five to four days had a major ecological impact. The enormous office building was shut down on Fridays for the first 10 months of the project, saving about US$1.8 million (R29 029 320) in energy expenses and at least 6,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. By working one day less every week, Utah calculated that it could save 12,000 metric tons of CO2, or the equivalent of taking 2,300 automobiles off the road for an entire year.
Customer satisfaction
Customers may complain that they are unable to get services from a certain business due to them being closed for an extra day.
Different types of technology such as AI robots may help to solve the problem of customer satisfaction as they would still be able to get assistance.
Compensating workers for the same number of hours as before may become expensive especially if there is not enough time to complete tasks. Employees may be worried or discouraged if they are paid by the hour as this decreases their pay.
Although a 4 day work week is still in the trial and error process, what are your thought on this idea?
