4-day work week: A realistic possibility?

Munich, Germany, 20.6.2023.

A total of 179 days has already passed this year. In the German state of Bavaria, seven of these were public holidays that fell on a working day. The result? Shorter working weeks, happy employees. It’s a foretaste of what’s been on everyone’s lips for a while now: the 4-day work week.

But what exactly is the 4-day work week? What problems can it cause? Is it really that useful and effective, or does it end up benefiting neither workers nor companies? Let’s take a closer look!

A Quick Fact Check

The modern world of work is in a constant state of flux, with new working models increasingly being discussed and challenging norms for both employers and HR professionals. One of these new working models is the 4-day week. The idea is that, instead of working five days a week, employees work four days a week – for the same salary. Sounds splendid, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that everyone simply reduces their 40-hour week to 30 hours and still receives the same monthly salary. Rather, the 40 hours per week will be spread over 4 days instead of 5. This corresponds to a contractual working time of 10 hours per day – in compliance with labor laws, of course. That said, companies are of course still free to reduce the working hours within the 4-day week without cutting pay.

Origin of the 4-day Week

The idea of reducing working hours is not new, it can be traced back through history; as early as the 19th century, efforts were made to reduce working hours to give workers more leisure time. According to an article on Gründer.de, a mill in the US was the first to switch from a 6-day to a 5-day work week in 1908. By the 1930s, other companies across the country were following suit. Over the decades, various models for reducing working hours have been tested and debated: some have stuck, some haven´t.

The proposal of a 4-day week is part of this development. In Iceland, where stress and burnout were plaguing large sections of the population, several companies were selected in 2015 to switch to a 4-day week. The experiment ran for four years was a great success: productivity and service quality remained the same, while the mental and psychological health of employees improved significantly. The results from Iceland thus confirm the basic assumption behind the 4-day week, that a better work-life balance increases productivity and wellbeing. Note: Of course, the 4-day week is not the only way to optimize the work-life balance of employees and thus increase productivity and well-being!

A pilot project in the UK also proved very successful: 61 companies reduced their working week to 4 days for half a year and, according to an article published by Sparkasse, 92% of these companies decided to continue with the same working week. The same trend is developing in Spain and Belgium, where many companies have adopted a 4-day week.

In Germany, interest is so high that a study recently published by the Hans Böckler Foundation showed that:

• Around 81% of full-time employees in Germany would like to see a 4-day week with a corresponding reduction in weekly working hours.
• Around 73% support a reduction in working hours if wages remain the same.
• 8% would reduce their working hours even if it meant receiving less money.
• 17% of respondents are against a four-day week.
• 2% already work 40 hours a week over four days.

Pros and Cons of the 4-day week

As with any other working model, the 4-day week has advantages and disadvantages, all of which must be carefully considered.

Benefits include:

• Greater employee satisfaction.
• Higher motivation due to longer recovery phases.
• Higher productivity due to increased willingness to perform.
• Increased efficiency through increased motivation: Employees are more motivated to complete their tasks in the time available to them.
• More time for hobbies and physical activities, Positive health effects on the body and mind.
• Less commuting: better work-life balance, lower CO2 emissions.
• Fewer absences: Important appointments (e.g. dentist) no longer lead to absences from work but can be scheduled on the free day of the week.
• Employer branding: a company that stands up for the wishes of its employees is popular!

But the 4-day week is not a working model without challenges. In fact, the 4-day week can pose several problems, challenges and difficulties. Here are some of them:

• It takes time to implement a new model and there will surely be some teething problems as people adapt to the new way of working.
• Doing the same workload in four days could be stressful and challenging; accumulation of tasks could put undue pressure on employees on workdays.
• Less time for social interaction with colleagues.
• Fewer opportunities to divide up the work: in some industries it makes sense to work a little on a task every day, for example, daily phone calls to help build relationships and customer contacts.
• For some sectors, the 4-day week is difficult to implement: care and health services must operate 24/7, and a 4-day week could exacerbate existing staff shortages.

The 4-day week: How to make it work

So, how can the 4-day week be successfully implemented? In an interview with Redaktions Netzwerk Deutschland, author and entrepreneur Martin Gaedt reveals what it takes for a company to make the 4-day week model work:

✔ Involve employees at an early stage.

✔ Arrange a trial period/preparation phase.

✔ Continually review the model and adjust as necessary.

✔ Measure and adjust processes, tools, and workflows.

✔ Optimize workload.

In addition, careful planning, clear communication, a flexible working time model, and freedom of choice are all crucial to maximizing the benefits of the 4-day week and mitigating any issues.

Voices from the Speexx Community

3 months ago, we ran a little poll on LinkedIn entitled:

Would you choose to work a 4-day work week if offered the option?

92% of Speexx followers said “Yes!”, 2% said they prefer a 5-day week, while 6% were unsure. This week we conducted another poll to investigate further into how our followers feel about the 4-day week. The opinions vary a lot, here are a few of them:

Yes, a 4-Day work week would be great!

Alessia M., Learning Lead: I think we would benefit a lot from it [a 4-day work week] as it helps increase work-life balance. That said, I´m against increasing the number of hours in the 4 working days as our productivity does not depend solely on the number of hours worked, but rather on the quality of processes, relationships, and the working environment.

Lauren H., Content Writer: At the start of my corporate career, my then-employer offered me a 4-day work week; it was a game-changer for my personal life (running errands, spending time with friends and family, recovering from a heavy workload) so I would absolutely recommend it!

Jo C., Virtual Classroom & Webinar Specialist, Speaker: I´m doing a 4-day week at the moment and loving it. I´m not increasing hours during the week but I am more focused whilst at work and feel more balanced. I´m all for it!

Aurelia N., Head of Marketing: In my company, we´re now working a 4-day week; I have never been so focused, so consistently productive, and felt so well-balanced.

Does it have to be a 4-day week?

Vim G., Driving Partner Success: For me, a 4-day week every week would be counterproductive and stressful as you try to do 5 days´ work in 4.

Jeremy B., CEO, Speaker & Author: I work a flexible week without limiting myself to X number of days, practicing flexibility every day to balance my work life with my personal commitments. When I do work, I am better able to facilitate ‘deep work’; some weeks are more flexible than others, but overall, my health, happiness, and results are better than if I were locked into a traditional week.

Catalina L., Senior Associate Marketing Operations: As difficult as it is to squeeze 5 days´ work into 4, it is a good exercise in efficiency, and it´s nice to know you have the option if you want it. Perhaps it would be better to start with a four-and-a-half-day week to ensure a smoother transition.

Kenneth S., NY Creative: Right now, I work a 4-day week, with the option of 5. (…) That said, if I need to work on a Friday, I always do.

What’s Next?

The 4-day week seems to be within reach – many companies have realized that it has a positive impact on productivity and employee satisfaction. Many have already successfully implemented the 4-day week, proving that it can be a realistic option. However, every company is different, and it is important to remember that the 4-day week will not work for everyone.

On the other hand, it is not necessarily important to have a defined 4-day week in the company. Often, offering your employees more freedom and flexibility (e.g. through hybrid forms of work or flexible working hours) is enough to position yourself as a progressive employer and thus attract the best talent and be successful in the long term. All without definitions.