How Many Hours Would You Work in a 4-Day Work Week?
The idea of a four-day workweek was suggested in the 1950s, but companies didn’t show as much enthusiasm about adopting it as they did the five-day workweek. It took seven decades and a once-in-a-generation pandemic to reignite the four-day workweek conversation. However, while it seems like an exciting new era of work, you might be wondering about the working hours of a four-day workweek.
You would work 32 hours in a four-day workweek - calculated as eight hours over four days. Ideally, a four-day workweek decreases the standard five-day workweek by eight hours. Despite the reduction in working hours, companies trialing the four-day workweek expect productivity to remain the same.
This article will delve deeper into the four-day workweek, exploring its different variations, its legality, and its pros and cons.
Variations in the Four-Day Workweek
The four-day workweek is very much the exception in the United States. Despite widespread reporting about its benefits, a March 2020 study by Gallup found that only 5% of more than 10,000 US employees worked less than five days.
This is despite statistics showing that full-time employees working four days weekly tripled between 1973 and 2018. Therefore, in the early 70s, only about 1.6% of American workers enjoyed four-day workweeks.
The study by Daniel S. Hamermesh & Jeff Biddle meant to show that the four-day workweek wasn’t a new phenomenon. In my view, it pointed to a reluctance by companies in the United States to adopt a four-day workweek.
The stand-out statistic states that the adoption of the shorter workweek has tripled since the 70s, but deeper interrogation of the figures shows that the growth in popularity of the four-day workweek has been slow.
To the United States’ credit, 38 companies across the United States and Canada started a trial of the four-day workweek from April to September 2022. Most companies in the study adopted the most common variation of the four-day work week: a reduction of the hours worked per week to 32 hours.
The non-profit running this trial refers to it as the 100-80-100 model: the employee gets 100% pay for 80% of their time while maintaining 100% productivity. 80% of a 40-hour workweek translates to 32 hours.
The 32-hour workweek places the United States on par with other countries trialing the system: Spain’s employees work 30 hours weekly, and Japan’s workers average 31 hours per week. However, 32 hours is still high compared to some European countries: employees in Germany, Norway, and Denmark clock in for 27 hours.
American employees working four days a week can expect to clock in for at least 32 hours. Some companies adopting the four-day work week expect workers to compensate for the day they aren’t at work.
Therefore, instead of working 40 hours in five days, an employee puts in 10-hour shifts for four days. You’ll go to work for four days, but the net amount of work done equates to five days.
The structure of the four-day workweek also varies from company to company. Some have one day, for example, Friday, as the permanent non-working day. Other companies split their workforce to prevent the complete closure of the business on one day of the week: one half can have Friday as the non-working day, and the other half can have Monday exempt from their workweeks.
Some companies even allow employees to pick the day that suits them. However, a business's four-day workweek policy regarding the extra day off depends on the workload.
The Law on Four-Day Workweeks
A 40-hour workday might seem hectic now, but a little over a century ago, the U.S. government found full-time employees in the manufacturing industry worked 100 hours per week. By the 1940s, the 40-hour workweek had become standard; however, statistics show that the average weekly hours worked for all workers dropped to 40 hours in the 1960s.
According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), any work done past 40 hours weekly constitutes overtime and entitles the employee to 1.5 times the regular pay rate. The law caps the maximum work hours at 40 - anything above is an exception.
Therefore, employees are free to enforce the number of work days they wish as long as they don’t go beyond 40 hours (there are exceptions to the overtime rule, but they don’t apply to most of the United States workforce).
Currently, the 32-hour, four-day workweek is a privilege enjoyed by five percent of the American workforce. It’s a preserve of the few with employers who appreciate the advantages of the four-day workweek (more on that later).
Therefore, you can’t use the judicial system to force your employer to offer 32-hour four-day work weeks. Unless there’s a change to the Fair Labor Standards Act, your employer can demand 40 hours of work from you.
Pros and Cons of a Four-Day Workweek
Henry Ford was already a revolutionary when he introduced the five-day workweek in Ford Motor Co. Ford surprised the industry when he introduced a $6 minimum wage and paid $10,000 in bonuses to his employees in 1919.
By then, he’d already expressed his desire to trim the workweek from six days to five. In the early 20th century, most workers worked 10 hours a day for six days weekly.
In 1926, Ford Motor Co. introduced the eight-hour, five-day workweek. Other companies adopted it rapidly because Ford showed the system benefited both the employer and the employees financially.
Proponents of the four-day workweek provide that an 8 hours shorter workweek offers even more benefits.
Benefits of a Four-Day Workweek
A century ago, Ford said the five-day workweek would benefit both employers and employees, and he was right. The increased engagement about adopting a four-day workweek a century later has less to do with the employer and a lot to do with the employee.
The conversation about a decrease in working days sparked because of the burnout and stress experienced during the pandemic. American workers reacted by quitting their jobs en masse, despite the challenges of inflation.
In March 2022, a record 4.5 million workers quit their jobs. In March, so many people had left their jobs that two job openings were available for every unemployed American. Could the adoption of the 4-day workweek be the catalyst that encourages Americans to return to work?
Let’s explore some of the benefits of a four-day workweek below:
Better Work-Life Balance
Currently, 95% of American workers dedicate five days of the week to work and two days to themselves and their families. According to proponents of the four-day workweek, the ‘5/2’ system is imbalanced.
They argue that four days of work and three days of life (4/3) seem like a much better balance. The statistics work in their favor: a study by Gallup found that people working four days a week had higher rates of thriving wellbeing.
Furthermore, the report found that people working four days weekly reported the lowest rates of burnout. The figures indicate that employees working four days a week are generally happier.
A 2022 four-day workweek experiment involving 3,300 UK workers echoes Gallup’s findings. Employers across 70 companies committed employees to work 80% of the usual week at 100% productivity.
An employee named Lisa Gilbert, talking to CNN, described the four-day workweek as ‘life-changing.’ The extra day off had freed time for her to take care of her son and two elderly parents.
The outlet reported that the extra day off had given employees time to fulfill ambitions, start new hobbies, and improve their relationships. Employers said employees had taken up activities like fishing, piano lessons, and cooking classes. Some employees had also reported improvements in their mental health.
Some employers have also appreciated the benefits of working 32 hours a week instead of 40. A senior employee at Charity Bank said the extra day has offered him a chance to improve his fitness with hopes of competing in a half-marathon. The employee referred to the five-day workweek as an outdated concept.
Therefore, you will likely enjoy better well-being if your employer switches from a five-day to a four-day workweek.
Increased Productivity
Most trials have instructed workers to maintain productivity levels. Therefore, via basic math, an employee working at a constant productivity level for fewer hours is less productive.
However, statistics show workers with improved well-being put more effort into their work. And a look at global productivity levels shows that workers in countries with low weekly working hours are more productive.
Countries like Norway, Netherlands, and Germany rank high in productivity levels, yet their workers average 27 hours a week, much lower than the 32-hour target set by most four-day workweek studies. In contrast, Japan, infamous for overworking employees, ranks lower in productivity.
The increased productivity in countries with lower average work hours can be attributed to a happier and more motivated workforce. Reduced burnout means that employees have more energy to carry out tasks.
Asana found that most workers spent 58% percent of their day performing auxiliary tasks, like attending meetings and answering emails. Only 42% of their day was directed towards their assigned tasks.
However, by reducing hours worked per week, employees are more likely to focus on the work they were hired for, resulting in higher productivity.
Cost Saving for the Employer and Employee
For an employee, not reporting to work for a day saves fuel or fare for the commute. It also eliminates the cost of coffee or food for that day.
And if the employee is a parent, they don’t need to pay for childcare on their extra day off. These are some ways an employee can save money due to a four-day workweek.
The cost-saving benefits are more pronounced for the employer. Closing the office for an extra day saves operational costs and, according to the results of a Utah trial, reduces a company's carbon footprint.
During the first ten months of a trial to reduce the government employee workweek from five days to four days, the trial reported a drop of around 6,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. If the state included emissions from travel, the state of Utah estimated a reduction of 12,000 metric tons of CO2 - from one day of missing work!
The increase in productivity from employees also means employers earn more. As you can see, by working four days, you not only save money but also contribute to environmental preservation.
Pitfalls of a Four-Day Workweek
Yes, there are pitfalls to a four-day work week. Despite the furor over adopting a four-day workweek and the projected benefits it’ll offer the employee, several downsides are worth mentioning.
Potential for Long-Term Unhappiness
With all the talk about four-day workweeks improving the welfare of employees, some have pointed out that the effect might be temporary. Of course, the voices touting the four-day workweek have drowned out the murmurs of disapproval, but this point is worth looking at.
In 2000, France reduced work hours in large firms from 39 to 35 hours. A study concluded that the reduction had failed to improve workers’ happiness, with many getting second jobs or moving to smaller firms without reduced work hours.
The theory is that reducing work hours isn’t the solution to improving employee satisfaction. Gallup suggested that workplace improvements - including offering workers more flexibility and improving work quality - were better solutions to employee dissatisfaction than fewer working hours.
Lower Productivity
Improved motivation and well-being haven’t translated to a blanket improvement in productivity. Some employers who’ve implemented the four-day workweek have forced employees to work for longer to compensate for the time lost.
Furthermore, studies show that reducing work hours increases employee disengagement. Actively disengaged employees not only impact the mood in the workplace but also lower productivity.
Conclusion
You can expect to work 32 hours a week in a four-day workweek. The days and time you complete your hours depend on your employer as there are several variations to the four-day work week.
Furthermore, the law doesn’t provide for a 32-hour workweek, so your employer has no obligation to reduce your work hours. However, you can consider pitching the idea after evaluating the pros and cons detailed above.
Sources
NBER: Days of Work Over a Half Century: The Rise of the Four-day Week
CNBC: Thousands of employees are testing a 4-day workweek starting today
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Job openings and labor turnover summary
Independent: Why three-day weekends could help save the world