Hi, I’m Rick Barron, your host, and welcome to That’s Life, I Swear

So, let’s see, work 40 hours in four-day workweek, and I can work from home!?

Over the past two years, we had to cope with COVID and all of the underpinnings it brought with it. 

As we walked our way out of this virus nightmare, little did we all know, that our society had time to rethink what they wanted in their lives during those two long years. What was top of mind?

Part of that rethinking was a new definition of work life. 

The typical workweek and where, was about to go through a radical change. 

Let’s jump into this.

When you have almost two years to do a deep soul search, a lot can happen.

In the beginning, we all worked from home, thinking COVID would be a short duration. Not having to go into the office, not dealing with the morning traffic, not to mention the evening rush hour. It was an inconvenience for some, but for the vast majority it was a nice change.  

We adjusted to our bedrooms, living rooms, or basement becoming our new office cube. Zoom meetings became the norm. The new changes required wearing a mask for going out, an educational system converting to in-home teaching, and more. 

Life moved on. 

Eventually working from home stretched to ‘another two weeks’, and then another. Finally, working from home became the new normal and going back to the office was TBD.

As we dug in for the long haul working from home, many workers started getting, shall I say, very comfortable working from their new home office.

The key words that generated this new comfort was simple, convenience and less stress on the human psyche.

As life moved forward another adjustment came into play with working from home. 

Why not give workers the option to work from home instead of being in the office? Better yet, why not move away from conventional thinking, and throw the typical five-day workweek out the window and convert 40 hours into a four-day workweek?  

Courtesy of: Morning Consult

The typical work week we had grown to know was about the change. 

What caused this new thinking?

Many employers were placed into a position where they had no choice but to allow for flexible working arrangements. However, with this sudden shift to working from home and increased hybrid working, we began to hear more and more conversations around work-life balance. 

With today’s technology, many companies can deal with their workforce working from home. I once worked for a company where everyone on my team was dispersed in various parts of the world, so working from home was a no-brainer! 

Unfortunately, the four-day working week model does not suit every sector. For example, some businesses or professions require a 24/7 presence which would make a shortened workweek not practical and, in some cases, delay work –creating longer lead times.

Think truck drivers dealing with keep the supply chain moving, medical establishments, police and fire departments, airlines and many more.

The idea of a four-day workweek has many benefits. Knowing you could sleep in on Friday, mow the lawn instead of on a Saturday, do your grocery shopping early in the morning to avoid the crowds, have ample time to take your kids to school, and on and on. You’d be able to have a true three-day weekend to enjoy. 

Various four-day work weeks could be modeled to fit the need. Say Monday to Thursday, Tuesday to Friday. 

Companies could also do well with a workforce working from home. Less real estate to worry about to begin with.

Four-day workweeks are having a moment but appear to be heading into an actual movement. Some companies have adopted a shortened workweek. For the most part the vast majority of employees today generally approve heading towards a four-day workweek, while some see it as a mixed blessing, 

Companies are still sorting out the precise definition of what is a four-day work week. Is such an adjustment mean working a flat 32 hours in four days, and that’s it? If one works past 32 hours, does that call out for overtime pay? 

Some companies may see a four-day workweek as a means to save costs. On the other hand, an employee may be forced to get their minimum of work done and other work within the 32 hours. 

Looks great on paper, but a lot to sort out still.

As companies experimented with employees working from home during COVID, many discovered that the convenience of working from home improved the well-being and reduced stress and burnout with their employees, without sacrificing productivity.

Adjusting to a four-day week provides various benefits to workers that helped during the time of COVID and offered some relief in dealing with parenthood, errands, child care, and more. 

Courtesy of: The Workforce Institute at Kronos

This new thinking of the typical workweek conjures methods to be more efficient at work. With fewer hours, the need for numerous meetings comes under scrutiny. Instead of a meeting, perhaps an email will do. Employees will sense that addressing the work at hand can be done with little interference. 

When work is squeezed into four days, the human interactions that fill the typical office time can suffer. A four-day workweek compresses free time and forces the issue to stop daydreaming and get to work. 

A four-day workweek is a change that helped many cope with the hurdles COVID threw at them. Adjusting to working from five to four days lends itself to being more efficient with time.

Another experiment some companies are trying is when employees fail to cram all their work into the shortened week, it spills into their day off. Companies experimenting with a four-day workweek look at Friday like a no-meeting day, where one could do focused work without distractions from work. 

The idea of getting more work done in less time to increase time off is not a new concept. One only needs to go back to the days of the Industrial Revolution. 

While researching the history of the typical workweek, I came across what Ford Motor did for their employees. Henry Ford had been contemplating the idea of going from a six-day workweek to a five-day workweek since1916 before launching it ten years later in 1926. 

Courtesy of: NPR

Some companies reduced weekly worker hours below 40 during the Great Depression to share what little work was available, and in 1933 the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would have limited the workweek to 30 hours but it never happened. 

Now fast forward to 1938, when a federal law came into the picture called the Fair Labor Standards Act. The law proclaimed a minimum wage of 25 cents per hour, a 44-hour workweek, and overtime pay of 1.5 times a worker’s regular compensation. Bear in mind that a gallon of gas in 1938 was ten cents.

A few years later, the idea of a 40-hour workweek became standard as part of the Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal plan.

Courtesy of: Independent Institute

Toying with a four-day workweek in the United States has been under discussion since the 1990s. Other ideas sprang up 2004, 2008 and 2011. 

Apparently, it took a pandemic to take the four-day workweek seriously.

What can we learn from slowly moving to a four-day workweek, let alone working from home?

Some initial quick points to call out are,

• With technology today making our lives somewhat idea, we need to look at working smarter. Of course, we want results but not at the expense of ongoing employee burnout and stress. COVID has given us pause to take a step back and sensitize ourselves to what is truly important in life. 
   
   Yes, a good steady income is ideal, but it’s also critical that people have more time to pursue other interests, spend time with their families, and manage their lives.
   
   
• With less employee turnover, a decline in worker burnout, companies could benefit through increased sales, high morale, and more with a restricted in the typical workweek
   
   
• Cutting to 40 hours within four days will give credence to employees and management to focus more on results. A vital key is to migrate to a four-day workweek but not reduce pay and benefits. 
   
   
• A major shift in how we think about and approach work is a precursor to standardizing a four-day workweek.

Over the many years people have worked, we’ve been conditioned to deal with the long typical one-to-two-hour drive into the office, barring any traffic accidents. For some, it’s rushing to the train station and hoping to catch your train on time to travel forty-five to sixty minutes to work. Then, once in the office, you march to your cubicle with coffee in hand, ready to do battle for another 40-hour, five-day workweek. 

Over the past two years, a restructured workweek went a long way in helping people lead a better balance of work and life. 

We may see pushes for five-hour workdays, staggered flexible work arrangements, more people choosing remote-work options, hybrid models and other programs. Companies will benefit, as they’ll have a happier workforce that’s appreciative and motivated. 

Employees who are treated well will likely work harder, which would enhance productivity and profits. One of the great things we’ve seen come out of the pandemic is the optimism for change, particularly as it relates to workers. 

It's a cultural change that was probably on its way and perhaps, long overdue.

Due to the COVID, employees have become more demanding of how they want live their lives. Companies find themselves having to be more competitive and keep an open mind to employee’s needs. 

More than ever, employees today have placed quality of life at the high end of making their lives more enjoyable. Employers have become open-minded to offering innovative ways to improve the quality of their workers’ lives. 

The four-day workweek is part of an overall reset of the workplace. It’s here. For today’s employees, now is your time.

Another benefit to consider is lowering our global carbon footprint. Aaaah, my favorite. Studies have shown that American employees drive 17% fewer miles on weekends than weekdays. 

Seriously, do we enjoy the drive into work on top of the mass conga line to get home and unwind? A four-day workweek would reduce carbon emissions in the U.S. by 45 million metric tons. I just thought I’d throw it out there.

Today, tech companies are taking reviewing various experiments in how and where work will be done in a post-pandemic world. Some employers are looking at three days a week in a “hybrid” workplace scheme, letting most employees come in whenever they want, or even working full time and permanently from home.

Employers today are now facing a new era in the work environment. Employees to be told that they must come back into the office 100% of the time, will be looked at as old thinking behavior. 

Nothing is cast in stone as yet for moving to a shorter workweek. Until we see this trend move to an actual movement that is well worth the attention it needs, it’s up to employers to determine how the four-day week plays out. 

Well, there you go. That’s life, I swear.

For further information regarding the material covered in this episode, I invite you to visit my website that you can find on either Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, for show notes calling out key pieces of content mentioned, and the episode transcript.

As always, I thank you for listening. 

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