How does a four day work week sound?

April 16, 2007 · Filed Under Slacking Off at Work 

Jacob from JobMob left an interesting comment on my post about the productivity of Fridays in the business world. Enter the idea of the four day work week.

Interesting. It isn’t a new concept by any means. School districts have tried it with some success. People with places that have flextime do it all the time. Some businesses have summer Fridays. So it isn’t whether or not it can be done (it can be), it is whether or not it makes business sense or people sense.

Now in the example used, they continued to work the same schedule. That’s great for them and for their own business but it seems that working four tens makes a lot of sense and is totally doable. There are many days I am already working tens anyway and having an extra day away from work would make that more doable.

Ultimately it comes down to balance. I want to spend more time with my significant other, my kids, my dog, my yacht… (just kidding about the yacht). I love work but it will be there, and there will always be stuff to do and if I could make my time so precious that nobody bugs me for meetings or wasteful time being spent away from my work, maybe I would end up getting more done (not less).

So what do you think? Does a four day week work for you? Could it? Or is it just pie in the sky?

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Comments

6 Responses to “How does a four day work week sound?”

  1. A. Navarro on April 17th, 2007 3:23 am

    Having worked a 4-10 and other non-traditional schedules in several fields, it usually ends up being a ‘blessing and a curse’. The extra day off is certainly nice - you’re not always unwinding on Saturday and winding back up on Sunday. However, the additional time spent during the week can take end up taking so much out of you (and leaving scant little room to do ANYTHING personal during the week), that it almost negates the extra freedom. If you figure a 10-hour work day with a standard hour lunch, you’re at the office 11 hours per day. Add a not-unusual 1-hour commute, and you’re now gone 13 hours a day, say 6am to 7pm. Get home at 7pm, cook dinner, and you have just an hour or two at most before bed, if you require any more than 5 or 6 hours sleep.

    Now, in a more traditional office setting, I too often find myself working 10-hour days on a too frequent basis…but that doesn’t mean the work can fit into 4 10 hour days, inevitably it’s 46-50 or more hours for the week.

    [Reply]

  2. Lisa on April 17th, 2007 3:44 am

    Fridays are basically a wash for me being filled with regularly scheduled meetings (out of my control)at 9:00, 10:15, and 1:00. Could I do a four-day work week? In principle, yes. In positions other than my cuurent one? Yes. I’d love it but to eliminate the Monday morning sprint, select others would need to be on the same schedule. I struggle because I do want the extra time outside the work but unless other things change to support it, I agree with A.Navarro above when he says that it “almost negates the extra freedom.” Nice thought though!

    [Reply]

  3. Jacob Share on April 17th, 2007 8:03 am

    Thanks for mentioning JobMob, HR Guy.

    I Stumbled this article: http://jobmob.stumbleupon.com/review/9217347/

    I agree with your assessment - it can be done but the wisdom of doing so depends on your business. For a counterexample - the typical Israeli work week is Sunday-Thursday but since so many companies work internationally, they must stay open on Fridays too (albeit at reduced capacity).

    [Reply]

  4. Mari Lou on April 17th, 2007 6:09 pm

    I work in a steel foundry, and we have been on 4-10’s and 3-12’s now going on 2 years. When this first started I was one of the few that was left on a 5-8 shift. I finally was able to go to the weekends and work the 3-12’s, which I really like, 4 days off and get paid overtime on weekends. I would have also gone to the 4-10’s had there been a opening on that shift. In my opinion I think it is a great shift both of them. Sometimes you have people that just don’t show up so you can be shorthanded, but the pros out weigh the cons.

    [Reply]

  5. robert edward cenek, RODP on April 17th, 2007 8:05 pm

    The four-day work week can work in many settings - but it not practical if there is not coverage for customer sensitive positions, or if other parts of the enterprise find it repugnant that some units get the peachy shift schedule.

    I have actually seen some folks prefer 4 9’s and 4 hrs. on Friday.

    robert edward cenek, RODP
    http://www.cenekreport.com
    Uncommon Commentary on the World of Work

    [Reply]

  6. Steve Wilson on April 18th, 2007 11:37 am

    The four-day work week can work in many situations. It can increase employee satisfaction and thus productivity.

    However, if your goal is to overcome low productivity on Fridays, then I don’t think it will work. The reason that people tend to be less productive on Friday has little to do with the fact that it is Friday, per se. Rather, it is because Friday is the last day of the work week and people are making plans for and looking forward to the weekend — maybe even checking out early to get a jump start on the weekend. If we simply eliminate Friday as a work day, the we are simply shifting that behavior to Thursday, and Thursdays will become less productive.

    Just found your blog. Enjoyed reading. Thanks

    [Reply]

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