In recent years, there have many discussions and trials involving a four day working week. Like anything, there are pros and cons to this idea. If this were to be implemented through government policy, it would require enormous changes to be made which may not always be effective. However, some countries see the four day working week as more beneficial; for example Japan’s government recommended it as its national policy.
History
Discussions over the length of the working week are nothing new. Dating back to 1926 when the Ford Motor Company introduced the now standardised pattern of a five day working week, Monday to Friday. However, surprisingly the four day working week became part of debates back in the 1950s. During this time labour unions were calling to introduce the four day working week but evidently nothing much came from that. Which brings us to the present, where there are more trials globally now than ever. Some pilot schemes have even been implemented permanently by leaders in certain companies.
Benefits
Firstly, let’s talk about the evidence. There have been several studies which show that productivity decreases as the number of hours worked increases. Therefore, by reducing the hours of a working week from 40 to 32 which would allow for a four day working week, there could be an increase in productivity meaning the amount of work being produced in the 32 hours may not be much different from the amount produced from 40 hours. On top of this, workers could have improved well-being through less worker burnout. Furthermore, a four day working week could lead to lower turnover rates, as improved well-being means happy workers and therefore less of a desire to leave their job. Some arguments suggest there would be no need to cut pay or benefits, if the focus is shifted from the amount of hours worked and onto the results being produced instead. If the results are of the same standard as before the four day working week is introduced, this means there is no viable reason to cut costs by reducing pay. Other benefits include the obvious such as more time for personal priorities including spending time with family and friends, hobbies or travel. Additionally, less working days comes with environmental benefits too; if there is reduced commuting and traffic congestion this results in less pollution. On top of this, there would be a significant reduction in energy use across the country if all offices are closed for another day per week which follows on to another benefit which is lower operating costs for companies.
Disadvantages
One disadvantage, which could be a huge risk to some, is that employees may not maintain their pay and benefits if the working week is reduced to four days. This is because companies can use this as a major advantage by seeing it as a way of cutting costs ultimately leading to less pay which is almost impossible for many to sustain while the economy is so poor. Although there is a way to avoid this problem, which would be to increase the hours in a day from 8 to 10, this can be incompatible with wage regulations and also too much for employees. Moreover, a compressed week with the same workload could cause enormous amounts of stress and pressure on employees to get everything done by the weekend with less time. This counteracts the debate on increased well-being, as although short-term studies have shown improved well-being to be true, there is no evidence for the long-term which must be kept into consideration. Finally, a four day working week does not necessarily mean that everyone will have the same day off. That being the case, if not everyone is on the same schedule this could decrease opportunities for collaboration work and also leaves companies unstaffed when others are working, which could be a significant risk to some companies.
Legalities
One possible obstacle could be the difficulties of sticking to Working Time Regulations, especially if the working hours increase from 8 to 10 hours. Employers will need to make sure that their employees have sufficient breaks in accordance with Working Time Regulations; if this is not done there are Employment Law issues that can arise from this. Another issue that could emerge is contractual arrangements. For instance, part time workers who already work a three or four day week receive a pro-rata wage; however if full-time time work becomes a four day week rather than five, there could possibly be an imbalance in pay which would be due to contracts. This issue would be difficult to navigate as it would require either changing a vast number of contracts or reducing the full-time pay which could cause outrage from full-time workers if the working week length reduction was not their choice. Finally, there could be conflicts of interest, as employees could decide to work for another employer on their ‘fifth’ day when they are not in their full-time job, even though they could still be getting paid their full-time wage. There is an awareness that employees are under an implied duty not to compete with their employer, and there is an express obligation in many contracts of employment to report conflicts of interest if they arise.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is a strong divide between the pros and cons of this idea. As many would love for this to come into action, there are many difficulties to be faced if this were to happen. It is likely that the UK Government will not implement a four day work week policy any time soon due to the fact that it is still currently under debate and there would need to be some long-term evidence to demonstrate that the benefits would immensely outweigh the costs. For now, the standard 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, will seemingly be around for a while.
