What are the pros and cons to a 4-day working week?
While many of us will be thinking about Easter Eggs this week and taking advantage of the Easter break to escape on holiday, Easter provides us with an opportunity to look at what impact working 4 days per week might have for employers and employees.
Changes to the working week, date back to the late 19th century, particularly the Factory Act of 1833, which aimed to regulate child labour and restrict the working hours of women and young people to a maximum of 12 hours a day. Subsequent Factory Acts and labour laws further limited working hours and improved working conditions including provisions for rest breaks.
With hybrid working arrangements more commonplace, and the increased awareness of mental health and wellbeing, we know that finding a work-life balance has become high up on the agenda in an attempt for companies to attract top talent.[1] Offering a position with fewer working hours for similar if not better pay then may seem very appealing to many prospective employees.
Providing employees with an extra day off each week, allows more time for leisure activities, family, and personal pursuits. This can lead to reduced stress and improved overall well-being potentially striking a better work life balance.[2] Studies conducted by Perpetual Guardian have shown that shorter workweeks can lead to increased productivity, as employees are more focused and motivated during their shorter workdays. This could result in higher efficiency and output per hour worked.[3]
With ONS data showing that a record high of approximately, 185.6 million working days were lost in 2022 due to sickness or injury, offering a better work life balance could reduce absenteeism through providing employees with more time to rest and recuperate. [4]
Environmentally, reduced commuting days, could also affect carbon emissions, traffic congestion, and contributing positively to the environment, while the shorter workweek could make a company seem more attractive to potential employees and improve staff morale, leading to higher retention rates and reduced recruitment costs.
Yet, transitioning to a 4-day workweek may require significant adjustments in scheduling, workload distribution, and operational processes, which could pose challenges for businesses particularly, in terms of operations and service delivery.
Depending how companies may structure the 4-day work week, could lead to lower salaries, resulting in a negative outcome for workers especially, those surviving on the national living wage.
Compacting the working week may place employees under increased pressure to complete their work within a shorter time, potentially leading to higher stress levels and burnout if not managed properly, while some employers and employees may resist the idea of a shorter workweek due to ingrained notions about work ethic and productivity.
Overall, the impact of a 4-day working week in the UK depends upon implementation, the specific needs and characteristics of different businesses, and the cultural attitudes toward work and leisure. Hybrid job working and technological advancements certainly help to enable the 4-day working week, while offering potential benefits in terms of work-life balance and productivity. However, careful planning and consideration of potential challenges are necessary for companies that consider reducing working hours to ensure successful implementation.
At Rico HR we are experts at helping our clients to navigate the issues when adopting alternative work arrangements such as hybrid working or adjusting working time patterns to suit their business and their employees.
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