The conventions of a full-time job go back to industrial times. Employees were expected to put in a requisite eight to ten hours each day, five days a week, in return for salaried positions and benefits. And while the shape and conditions of full-time work have been revolutionized over and over each decade, the structure of the week remained the same. That all changed in 2020, turning everything we know about office culture on its head.
Businesses went into deep survival mode, and the cynicism towards remote work vanished by necessity. What managers didn't expect is how most employees would thrive under this new normal, with minimal (if any) sacrifices towards productivity. For a while, this silver lining was a modern-day miracle in an otherwise tumultuous world, but that positive facade would not last. Pandemic burnout brought to life another workplace issue, and business leaders were once again faced with another unconventional idea: shortening the workweek altogether.
Preliminary experiments show positive results
Across the globe, companies of all sizes across every industry are experimenting with reducing days in the office. Considered one of the very first major corporations to pilot a four-day workweek, Microsoft Japan offered 2,300 employees the chance to shave off one day of their week in an attempt to boost morale and productivity back in 2019. The program was considered a major success, and productivity jumped 40%, while employees reported happier day-to-day life and better work-life balance.
What may have seemed like a one-off success story became an aspirational target for other progressive organizations in the wake of 2020. The U.S-based crowdfunding company, Kickstarter, will test a four-day workweek beginning 2022. CEO Aziz Hasan feels that the time is now to break away from traditional norms and embrace a future that is more appreciative of their most precious resource. "I believe that by finding harmony between work and home, our team will make as much—if not more—meaningful progress toward our mission," he stated in a written article published on Fast Company.
Social Media software company Buffer is also committing to a trial four-day workweek after initially testing the concept in May 2020. Consumer product giant Unilever will pilot the shorter workweek in their New Zealand headquarters and will roll out the new structure worldwide, pending results.
How companies are adopting the four-day workweek
Businesses considering a shorter workweek will have to manage a series of challenges to implement this new schedule, which is among the chief reasons why the shift is a trial phase for companies piloting the program. Customer service coverage, scheduling meetings, and managing communication with third-party organizations are among the most common concerns, but overcoming these hurdles seems to be a worthwhile task to retain and attract prime talent who appreciate the extra day off.
The first method that most organizations are adopting is simply shortening the week to 32 hours without decreasing salaries. Team members will still be expected to complete the same amount of work as previously performed in 40, inspiring a more productive, creative use of time. In Spain, 200 companies will be given government-backed funding to support a 32-hour workweek for a three-year trial, easing cost implications for employers who continue offering a full salary.
An alternative approach is dividing the same 40 hours across four days, extending working hours to ten instead of eight per day. Software engineering company Elephant Ventures did a trial run of the compressed workweek, and after an expected adjustment period, decided to make the change permanent. As reported by CNN, the New York-based firm reported happier employees who felt refreshed and energized after a three-day weekend, confirming that a better balance can be achieved without sacrificing hours.
While a break from conventional norms is at the crux of any innovative business, the definition of full-time work has remained fairly rigid. Members of the workforce seeking flexibility are often relegated to freelancing, working from home, or co-working spaces, but in a world where a global shift to remote work defied traditional office standards, why can't we embrace other unorthodox methods?