A Four-Day Work Week Doesn't Guarantee Three-Day Weekend

A California bill that would shorten the workweek to 32 hours has made employees hopeful that they'll have more time away from work, but business management experts say that may not necessarily be the case.

Proponents of a four-day workweek argue that the same amount of work could be done in a shorter time frame, but some warn that the stress of having to be more productive could either counteract the benefits of a shortened week or simply transition employees to a fifth work-from-home day.

The bill currently working its way through California's state legislature would move non-union, hourly workers at large companies to a 32-hour week with no cut in pay.

"There's this hope that having a four-day workweek will lead to greater job satisfaction, a better work-life balance—especially having longer weekends and some time off that allows for traveling—and less commuting," Oliver Schilke, a professor in the management and organizations department at the University of Arizona, told Newsweek.

"But on the cost side, even if they reduce the number of [work] hours, there might still be a perceived pressure to get things done in less time," Schilke continued. "The workload might still kind of be the same, but the number of hours provided could be less, which then actually increases the pressure and the stress for employees, quite significantly."

A four-day work week would also benefit some employees more than others.

Peter Cappelli, a management professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, explained that those working in customer service or in nursing would be among the group for which a shortened workweek would be most impactful because their work cannot be done remotely. Thus, an extra day off would really equate to a day off.

"It makes sense for tasks where people can't do the work remotely," Cappelli told Newsweek. "It's of benefit to those employees who can do something completely different on that fifth day, like take off for a long weekend."

In comparison, exempt employees—who do not receive overtime pay or qualify for minimum wage—have the ability to work from home. Office workers are typically given a set amount of work to complete, most of which does not require employees to be in the same physical space to do.

Thus, a four-day workweek for these employees would mean they only have to be in the office four days a week, but it would not necessarily mean that they'll only be working for four days.

"If the job can only be done on site—as with nursing—than it does effectively mean a four-day week. Otherwise, it doesn't mean your work will only be over four days," Cappelli said.

"Virtually all the interest in this topic is for exempt employees, who don't have regular hours in any case. So the real question is, is the 4-day week another way of saying work-from-home on the fifth day," he added.

California would not be the first to embrace a 4-day workweek. Countries like Iceland and companies like Microsoft have already begun testing a shortened workweek and have reported an increase in productivity. But those findings could be premature.

Schilke said that while employees may be eager to get more done in four days to have a longer weekend, that sentiment could fall flat as time passes.

"It can be beneficial and motivating in the short term to have that pressure of 'Oh, if I only work four days, I better make it worth my while and put in a lot of effort,'" he explained. "But it could really wear people out in the longer term. Increased pressure to get stuff done in the limited time they have could be very straining and counteract this motivational aspect of things."

A shortened workweek could also lead to layoffs, since one of the downsides for employers would be an increase in labor costs. Because the California bill would keep compensation at a similar rate while shortening the workweek, it would mathematically result in a higher per hour wage.

Schilke said that employers may also be worried that there could be a decrease in customer satisfaction if fewer employees are available to answer concerns.

While Cappelli said a four-day work week could be meaningful for some employees, like those in retail, "other accommodations would be far easier for the employer and would have more benefit for more employees."