4 Reasons Why Good Businesses Are Saying ‘Goodbye’ To The 5 Day Work Week

More increasingly, companies are abandoning typical office etiquette and working hours for plans which they deem more beneficial for employees. One such change to the typical working week is a rise in companies adopting a 4 day work week.

Once, it was believed to be the only way to work. Now, the 9-5 Monday- Friday routine is becoming less popular; especially in a post-Covid world.

Companies are opting either for employees to take Fridays off and thus have a longer weekend, or to stagger attendance and have a revolving schedule of the days they are in.

In either case, more people are starting to see the benefits of the shorter working week.

But what are they?

Believe it or not, having a shorter working week seems to make employees more productive.

With fewer hours in work, employees spend less time in pointless or long meetings, chatting at the water cooler, and generally procrastinating.

As such, their productivity increases as they spend more time on designated tasks.

It means that the office becomes a more efficient workplace and the deadlines given are more frequently met.

Sounds good, right?

What’s more, a study by Sanford University noted that there was actually a correlation between productivity and working hours. That being: employees who were deemed overworked or too tired were actually less productive. This is in comparison to employees who spent fewer hours in the office.

You only need to look towards countries like Luxemburg and France to see this in action.

As of 2015, Luxemburg, with the lowest average working hours of 29 hours a week, also has the highest productivity.

They made an impressive 93.4 GDP per hour worked.

Whereas Mexico, with an average of 41.2 hours of work per week, is the least productive. Out of the 38 countries surveyed, they were generating only 20.3 GDP per hour.

But what does this mean?

Well, it seems that productivity/task fulfilment, as well as financial generation, is most impressive when working hours are lower.

This not only makes sense for the employees but also financial sense for the companies too. And, unsurprisingly, is one of the most appealing advantages of a short work week.

With more time devoted to extracurricular activities and time spent at home, employees are more willing to fully commit to their work when in the office.

The correlation cannot be denied.

When working hours lower, productivity rises.

Leading on from productivity, the shorter working week also lends towards higher employee satisfaction.

After all, who wouldn’t want more time at home?

It seems that with long weekends and one less day spent in the office, employees have more time to rest and recuperate.

Subsequently, employees are less likely to phone in sick, take personal days, or complain whilst at work.

Productivity is increased because employees are happy to be there.

This was proven when Microsoft Japan decided to drop its workweek to 4 days for the summer and saw a 40% increase in productivity.

Why?

Because employees felt happier coming to work as they were more rested.

What’s more, employees working under a 4-day working week also recorded better emotional and mental wellbeing as well.

They felt as if the company valued them as people too, not just workers, and by being allowed the longer weekend – they felt more appreciated.

This even had a knock-on effect on something else too: employee retention.

With employees being happier under the 4 day work week and feeling more motivated, appreciated, and rested, they were less likely to look elsewhere for employment.

But why does this matter?

Well, when it comes to running a business, employee satisfaction is one of the most important things.

Your company’s success means nothing if you’re being run by a team of employees who feel undervalued and overworked.

By considering the work-life balance more fairly and with a kinder approach, it can result in happier staff.

For the majority of employers who hear ‘4 day work week’, they envision benefits only for the employees. They see it as a massive challenge that will be difficult to implement, and even harder to regulate.

But this isn’t the case!

A shorter working week actually provides many benefits for the employer as well.

One of them being financial.

Liz Supinski, director of research and product for the Society for Human Resource Management stated that “generally speaking, work-flex variations are one of the least expensive ways to make employees happier.”

In comparison to other ways to increase job satisfaction – such as workplace benefits, office renovations, and extracurriculars – the swap to the shorter workweek was actually one of the least expensive options.

But more than that, it’s also not that hard to make the change.

Many companies such as Microsoft Japan, Shake Shack, and Perpetual Guardian, all initially started with a trial period.

It began with a conversation with their employees about how they would be able to increase productivity, and how the 4 day work week would work.

Some companies found it more beneficial for all staff to have the same day off, whereas others found it more productive for staff attendance to be staggered.

A staggered attendance with employees meant that there was always someone in the office, and therefore always someone to help out clients.

What’s more, staggered days in the office are also appealing in a post-Covid world.

Eliminating the number of people in the office makes for better social distancing.

On the other hand, the option of everyone having the same day off also has its benefits – Microsoft Japan saw a 23% decrease in their electricity costs when no one was in on Friday.

There is no doubt that with a shorter workweek, a reduced carbon footprint would also follow.

On an individual basis, staff who are working only 4 days a week do not need to commute to work more and thus their carbon footprint decreases.

Less time traveling to work = better for the environment.

But how big of an impact will this really have on the environment?

Well, on a small scale, it would still see huge differences.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst found that if each individual cut down their working hours by 10%, it would lead to a 14.6% decrease in carbon emissions.

For the average 40 hours working week, that’s only 4 hours.

But what if we dream bigger?

A study carried out by Monster revealed that if the number of people working from home – around 13.4% pre-Covid – doubled, then London would see 374,931 fewer cars on the road.

As one of the most populated cities in the world, the effects of this would be tremendous.

This would mean that, for the average individual, their carbon footprint would decrease by 420kg of CO2 per year!

But imagine a world where everyone was home for one extra day a week.

According to the Guardian, that would mean a 36.6% decrease in our overall carbon footprint. And, according to The Conversation, this would translate into a 558 million mile reduction in travel if the workweek was shorter in the UK alone.

But it doesn’t just stop with travel.

A shorter workweek also means less pressure on finite and precious resources in the office too.

With less energy spent on lighting the offices, powering the electronic devices and anything else within the building, you can see how much of an impact a shortened working week would have.

Believe it or not, it was only in the early 1930s that the UK saw the introduction of the 5 days working week. It was inspired by allowing employees the weekend off for religious worship, and to reduce the running costs of factories.

That’s right.

The coveted 5-day working week which is so entrenched in our society isn’t actually as old as you think.

This shows us that, contrary to popular belief, changes to work schedules aren’t that hard to implement.

In fact, 15% of the 60,000 US companies who completed the Society for Human Research Management survey said they had a 4 day work week. The most companies to have announced this as of date.

Which means, the shorter workweek is on the rise.

It’s clear to see the many benefits that accompany a reduction in working hours, for both employee and employer.

Whether it’s a financial boost or an improvement in wellbeing, there are plenty of reasons for your company to consider the shift to the shorter working week and see if it’s the right fit for you.