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Burnout, Stress Lead More Companies To Try a Four-Day Work Week (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Work four days a week, but get paid for five? It sounds too good to be true, but companies around the world that have cut their work week have found that it leads to higher productivity, more motivated staff and less burnout. "It is much healthier and we do a better job if we're not working crazy hours," said Jan Schulz-Hofen, founder of Berlin-based project management software company Planio, who introduced a four-day week to the company's 10-member staff earlier this year.

In New Zealand, trust company Perpetual Guardian reported a fall in stress and a jump in staff engagement after it tested a 32-hour week earlier this year. Even in Japan, the government is encouraging companies to allow Monday mornings off, although other schemes in the workaholic country to persuade employees to take it easy have had little effect. Britain's Trades Union Congress (TUC) is pushing for the whole country to move to a four-day week by the end of the century, a drive supported by the opposition Labour party. The TUC argues that a shorter week is a way for workers to share in the wealth generated by new technologies like machine learning and robotics, just as they won the right to the weekend off during the industrial revolution.

4 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Beware by MrLogic17 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From personal experience: one employer offered a 4x10 week for better "work/life balance".
    My local manager saw that and said, essentially, "oh, so you can work 10hr days. We need you in on Friday too."

    Beware.

    1. Re:Beware by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I had implemented Flex Time at my previous job. Giving employees freedom, isn't taking your hands off the reigns. You need to be sure you have people covering every day that your business is open. So if they all take Friday off, then you need to make sure there is some sort of rotation, or rule. Either you have a first come first serve, or a rule that you cannot take the same days off every week. Or make sure there is enough coverage every day, by other means.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:Beware by geoscodin · · Score: 5, Interesting

      We have several people working four 10s and taking off Fridays, so I took Mondays and worked four 10s t be sure we always had coverage. Suddenly I didn't hate Mondays anymore. Plus having a specific workday off every week allowed me better plan medical appointments, vehicle maintenance, deliveries, etc. while still providing a three day weekend which could be use to do home projects while still getting a day of actual rest, or short trips to refresh and recharge that allowed a full day at the wherever, and didn't include driving to a place on Saturday and back straightaway the next day.

    3. Re:Beware by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 4, Interesting

      We do a 4-9-4 schedule, and I really like it. It makes Friday a pretty chill day, and I only need to take 4 hours of PTO to have a 3-day weekend. 4-10 Is painful, especially for the poor saps that end up working 10 hours on Friday. I guess they can get Monday off, so YMMV...

      I don't think 4-10 would reduce burnout. The main factor for combating work-related burnout is to make work fun and interesting... which simply isn't always possible.

      Maybe I will propose a 4-1 schedule next year...