Should you be excited or puzzled about working 4 days a week? Does it depend on whether you are an employee or an employer? And will it increase productivity or laziness?
All of these questions come to our mind when asked about ‘4-day week’.
The usual 5-day work week was set up a long time ago when there were more factories than corporate offices and when there was more hard work than smart work.
Today many companies have adopted this new framework like Microsoft Japan, Perpetual Guardian, etc. and achieved positive results and many others are still deciding which way to go.
The upside:
Cost Saving: Reducing just one day of work in a week will eventually offer a good amount of saving for both.
Employees will be able to save transportation cost, lunch money and sundry expenses that occur in the course of a regular working day.
Employers, on the other hand, will be able cut back on office overheads that they have to bear on a daily basis. This creates a win-win situation for all involved.
Mental freedom: Having more free time reduces stress and when people are allowed to spend more quality time with their loved ones their dedication towards work and loyalty towards the company also increases.
The flipside:
While appealing, the ‘4-day work week’ isn’t practical or applicable for every business model. Only large companies that are strategically placed to allow remote work and collaboration can fully adopt it.
Fewer days mean long hours per day: While you might have reduced a day from your work week, the amount of work needed remains the same as before, thus necessitating 10 hours work a day. This can lead to an increase in work-related stress and can affect productivity.
The business model: The company needs to thoroughly understand whether the 4 day work model could be applied in their company, if so, then will it really produce positive results?
The answer to all of this can be concluded with thorough research in terms of production, target, timeline, and surveys. After all, what suits the goose won’t always suit the gander, so each company must decide their working model basis their own needs, industry, and their position in the grand scheme of things.
