The viability of a four day week: can flexible working improve productivity? (Part 1)

The idea of a four day work week has been long discussed within workplaces and business structures of the UK and abroad. Extended working hours and long commutes, with a relatively small window for recuperation over the weekend, seems increasingly like an outdated and archaic structure of working life for many professionals.

Our current five day working week was born from a time in which factory work was the norm. There is now an argument to be made that modern technology and streamlined workflows have left us in a new position; if our workload can be met in less than the expected 40 hours per week, then the remaining time becomes unproductive and wasted.

Trials of a four day working week have been successful in New Zealand and Sweden, and a Japanese four day week experiment saw a 40% increase in productivity. Could condensing the workflows of many corporate and business spaces actually increase the amount of quality work completed? Is the incentive of having more free time to organise our lives achievable?

The UK is set to see a trial of a four day working week scheme in June of 2022. The programme (backed by researchers from Oxbridge universities) will see a 6 month trial consisting of 30 companies paying their employees 100% of their wage for 80% of their normal hours. The idea is that happier employees, with more free time to allocate to their personal lives and well-being, will produce a higher quality of work in a more efficient manner.

Flexible working has already proven popular with employees, as has been particularly evident over the course of the global pandemic. Recent studies have shown that remote workers consider themselves measurably happier than their office bound counterparts. But does this perceived happiness by employees actually translate to a marked improvement in productivity?

Well, an impressive 89% of companies report better retention rates by simply offering the option of flexible working, and flex appeal can reduce burnout and increase happiness within the workforce; two determining factors in the productivity of a workplace. There is data available that suggests that factors that increase productivity within businesses will be positively affected by the widespread introduction of flexible working and a four day week.

The results of these large scale test schemes may well provide the most convincing data yet, and work to shift employer’s perceptions of flexible working. That’s not to say that flexible hours do not come without their potential downsides. In certain industries—for example, the service sectors—this reduction in work hours will affect shift patterns and scheduling, resulting in difficulties navigating a monumental shift in work culture. 

Will flexible working and the four day work week benefit the wider working world? Or is the introduction of this approach destined to be minimal in scope? In the second part of this series, we’ll discuss the potential drawbacks of the four day week, and how our work culture may need to change to adapt. Until then, at Feather Grey we’d love to hear your thoughts.