The suggestion to work 4 days a week is not a new idea, but it has started to attract attention and be implemented in recent years. Many employers in countries such as the USA and the UK are starting trials to see the effects of this model on their companies. In fact, studies on 4 days overtime are increasing. There are even non-governmental organizations that carry out activities for this model in countries where the 4-day shift is tried. The world, especially the West, is debating the 4-day working model. A very comprehensive study carried out recently also offers interesting data on this subject.
An 18-month study in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland found that weekly working hours are shortened as people switch to a new and more productive way of working. The 4-day working model was tested within the scope of the research, which included a wide range of business lines from design agencies to manufacturing companies. During the research, employees were given one day off from their weekday shifts, but their workload remained the same and it was examined whether they could do the same job more efficiently.
After 6 months, employees started to say that they were less worn out, their health improved and they were more satisfied with their work. The researchers observed that this group reduced the weekly working time to 33 hours after 12 months, and their evaluations of their mental and physical health and work-life balance continued in the same way.
Some companies that apply the 4-day working model have “banned” meetings for a while. Photo: FreepikMuch of the research conducted on the 4-day shift has generally focused on the short-term effects of this model. The findings of the latest research are important because they are longer than 12 months and involve different companies. Researchers and companies say that both employers and employees benefit from the shortened weekly working hours.
Juliet Schor, an economist and sociologist working at the non-governmental organization 4 Day Week Global, who conducted the research, and also at Boston College, draws attention to the fact that most of the companies do not even tell their staff to speed up in order to complete the 5-day shift in 4 days. Schor, on the contrary, emphasizes that meetings are reduced and attention is paid not to interrupt the time of the employee who focuses on the work.
There are also those who do not work for 4 days
The same researchers also set up pilot groups similar to the research group at companies in the US and Canada. They’re also running trials in places like Australia, Brazil, the UK. The vast majority of those who participated in the application, which included 61 companies in the UK last year, stated that they will continue the 4-day working model due to reasons such as the continued productivity of the employees and the sharp decrease in their absenteeism. . The majority of the companies that stated that they would continue the 4-day working model were small companies. Some of the employees in some companies stated that 4 days’ work is not enough for the same workload.
Jenise Uehara, CEO of the digital marketing magazine Search Engine Journal, which is included in the US leg of the research, stated that last year, when the company was having financial difficulties, she suggested switching to a 4-day shift model, some of the 30 home workers were overwhelmed by their work and their workload increased. Noting that the company “banned” all meetings for the first month within the scope of the research, Uehara stated that some of the meetings were turned into notes where employees inform each other about the processes.
Employees who work 4-day shifts also state that their job satisfaction has increased. Photo: FreepikUehara also said that within 6 months, the workload at the company decreased, productivity increased, and customers did not realize that the shift to 4-day shifts. Underlining that the company will continue to work on Fridays, Uehara said, “ We needed to find a more efficient way. We just couldn’t go on” says.
Simon Ursell, who is a manager at Tyler Grange, an environmental consultancy company based in England, underlines that working for 4 days also has positive contributions in sociological terms. He says that the fact that people with children or grandchildren are off on Fridays provides financial gains for these families (especially families with children during the nursery period). She also notes that children are happier because they can spend more time with their parents.
Ursell continues his assessment as follows:
“The fact that there are 4 days a week is something that makes people very happy. You struggle more easily with the ups and downs of a busy week. Also, since the weekends are long, we all start with enthusiasm on Monday mornings.”
Sources: Wall Street Journal, CNBC
