A shorter week, the same responsibilities
Many workers dream of having an extra day off, but employers often worry about unfinished tasks and unhappy customers. One possible solution is a four-day working week with fewer hours and no reduction in pay. It sounds attractive, but how does it work in practice?
In 2022, 61 organisations in the United Kingdom joined a six-month trial. Around 2,900 employees took part. Before the change, some teams studied how they spent their time. They shortened unnecessary meetings, improved communication and changed staff schedules. The aim was not simply to squeeze five days of work into four. Instead, teams tried to work more efficiently.
The results attracted attention. At the end of the trial, 56 of the 61 organisations said they intended to continue. In employee surveys, 39% reported that they felt less stressed and 71% reported lower levels of burnout, a feeling of extreme tiredness caused by too much pressure. These results suggest that shorter hours can help some people feel healthier.
However, a shorter week is not equally easy in every workplace. A software team might reduce meetings, but a café cannot serve lunch without staff. Hospitals and shops need enough people on duty every day. Smaller businesses may find it difficult to pay for additional cover. There is also a difference between working fewer hours and working four longer days.
Supporters believe a shorter week could help employers attract staff and improve their quality of life. Critics point out that the successful companies chose to participate in the trial, so other workplaces might have different results.
Perhaps the most sensible question is not whether everybody should work four days. It is how each organisation could test a new schedule while keeping its services reliable and treating its employees fairly.
