Does working 4 days a week increase overall productivity?

The 4-day workweek was designed to help employees rest and become more productive, and many companies have been experimenting to see its effect.

In April 2019, the Society for Human Resource Management reported that 15% of 60,000 US employers provide a 4-day workweek of 32 hours or less, compared to 12% in 2018. The study showed that companies did not experience any loss in production or revenue as a result of the reduction in hours worked.

Microsoft tried a four-day workweek in its Japan offices in August 2019 and discovered that shutting down its offices every Friday resulted in a 40% increase in productivity. Employees were happier and more productive.

Some experts believe there are downsides to this workstyle because reducing work hours doesn’t necessarily reduce workload. Casted CEO Lindsay Tjepkema says the four-day workweek may not create as much flexibility for employees as some may think.

Delaney and Catherine Caseys’ findings in a study on New Zealand’s move to the four-day workweek showed that employees’ work was intensified, and managerial pressures on performance measurement increased.

However, for some companies like Healthwise the benefits of the 4-day workweek are clear. Cutting back to four work days was good for business.”Our revenues went up this year more than we had expected,” says CEO Adam Husney.

We must focus on the well-being and productivity of our workforce regardless of how we work or how much we work.

Have you tried working 4 days a week?