Gamez: How the four-day workweek is good for business
Dec 1, 2022, 1:26 PM | Updated: Dec 2, 2022, 10:17 am
According to 4 Day Week Global, the four-day workweek is good for business. 9 out of 10 employees surveyed are on board too. (Photo by John Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)
(Photo by John Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)
The people have spoken, and a four-day workweek is good for business!
This is according to 4 Day Week Global, which conducted a six-month trial in the United States and Ireland with nearly 33 companies and 903 workers.
Four-day workweek movement gaining momentum in the U.S.
Workers saw no reduction in pay with no indication as to whether they were going to return to the five-day work week after the trial.
According to CNN, “None of the 27 participating companies who responded to a survey by 4 Day Week Global said they were leaning towards or planning on returning to their former five-day routine.” Nearly 500 employees who responded said they would like to continue with the four-day workweek.
CNN states that employees felt positive about the trial and reported less stress, exhaustion, insomnia, burnout, and improvements in mental and physical health.
Company earnings were good too! According to the survey, average revenue rose 38% when compared to the same time last year.
Other countries that offer four-day workweeks? Australia, Austria, Canada, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Denmark, and Iceland have all implemented the four-day workweek.
Opponents of the shortened workweek report that the results could leave employees with less time to take care of home-life issues and may experience a stressful workday jammed with even more scheduled meetings.
Russel Reeder, a journalist with Forbes, wrote that the four-day workweek would actually make days more compacted, leading to higher stress and less flexibility for workers, something that will be especially difficult when handling personal matters.
“The negative side of a four-day workweek is that employers will demand more dedication during the four days,” Reeder said. “Trying to force the out-of-date, 9-to-5 workday into a four-day model will have negative repercussions, creating more stress and less time to take care of life as it happens.”
However, that’s not what the 4-Day Week Global has reported. Survey respondents rated their overall experience a 9 out of 10.
If we could score a four-day work week, what would be the BEST schedule?
— KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM🎙 (@KIRONewsradio) December 1, 2022
