Would a 4-day work week work in the US? Experts weigh in

The imaginable of slashing a time of activity from nan schedule each week without a little paycheck is simply a awesome woody for workers, truthful it is not astonishing that aggregate studies show employees emotion nan idea of a 4-day activity week – particularly successful this property of precocious burnout.

While immoderate experts opportunity nan shorter activity week mightiness beryllium a awesome solution for immoderate industries, skeptics opportunity its wide take would ne'er activity successful America.

“There is truth to nan thought of moving ‘smarter, not harder,’ and investigation supports that well-rested, motivated labor thin to beryllium much productive and creative,” said Sunny Bonnell, CEO of branding agency Motto.

Bonnell argues that a 4-day workweek tin promote group to “prioritize high-value tasks, minimize distractions, and attraction connected outcomes alternatively than hours worked.”

Bonnell says companies pinch forward-thinking, people-focused cultures such arsenic successful tech or imaginative industries could apt lead nan measurement by integrating shorter workweeks to heighten morale and forestall burnout, and says specified companies could spot higher retention rates and accrued productivity arsenic labor run successful a civilization that values equilibrium and invention complete axenic hours.

The branding master said a shorter activity week could besides positively effect nan situation by reducing commuting days.

Julia Hobsbawm, a workplace futurist and writer who predicted hybrid activity years earlier nan pandemic, said nan activity for a strategy that would mean a 20% reduction successful moving hours for 100% pay “is commendable, but I don’t deliberation it will work.”

Hobsbawm said the labor market today simply cannot beryllium compared precisely to Henry Ford’s 40-hour-week workforce, pointing retired that caller exertion is pervasive, starring immoderate workers to bring their activity location acknowledgment to nan advent of email and smart devices, truthful their moving hours aren’t confined to nan mill floor. 

Many companies experimenting pinch nan 4-day week structure their systems not connected a strict 4-day schedule, Hobsbawm noted, but alternatively connected building elastic arrangements that suit individual workers’ and companies’ needs. For example, immoderate workers whitethorn beryllium capable to opt to activity 2 half-days alternatively of taking 1 time off. 

“I deliberation nan 4-day activity week activity will subordinate nan likes of campaigns for cosmopolitan basic income and stay a spot of a niche, but tin still power businesses arsenic a whole,” Hobsbawm said.

Preston Taylor, caput of group and civilization astatine Human Capital Management (HCM) startup Helios, says he does judge location are positives to nan 4-day activity week, but besides “believes it would struggle to beryllium successful successful a overmuch larger system and work-obsessed civilization for illustration we person successful nan US.”  

Taylor said it could beryllium successful successful definite industries successful nan US like tech, authorities and finance, but would decidedly create awesome disruptions and accrued costs for different industries for illustration healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and immoderate different service-based companies that are reliant connected accumulation schedules, significant customer work needs, and organizations that request to run 24/7.

Cardone Capital CEO Grant Cardone told FOX Business, “Four-day activity weeks would beryllium a disaster for this country, that already has exported excessively galore jobs to different countries pinch amended activity ethic.”

The backstage equity money head and real estate investor based on that nan lodging industry, for example, cannot run connected a 4-day activity week, and asked rhetorically really nan federation would beryllium capable to support up pinch what is already a shortage of homes if nan U.S. were to enforce specified a system.

Cardone besides says a shorter activity week would only accelerate robot exertion and artificial intelligence (AI) replacing humans successful nan workplace.

“Be observant what you inquire for folks – 1 time you won’t person thing to do,” he added. “Work is nan top gift fixed to us. The much I work, nan happier I am.”