The coronavirus pandemic upended office traditions around the world, making working from home the new normal and Zoom meetings the favored way to catch up with colleagues and clients. But millennials, often bashed by their elders as being workshy, are keen for more reforms to the work-life balance, with new polling showing the generation is considerably in favor of adopting a four-day working week.
The concept of the four-day working week is simple: employees work a day less than the standard five, which works out as 32 work hours instead of 40. Workers still have to complete the same amount of work in 80 percent of the time, while in many cases still taking home their full compensation package. Numerous major companies have introduced a reduced week either every week or just some weeks, including Kickstarter, Bolt and Dolby.
The idea is certainly gaining momentum. Bernie Sanders, chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, has pushed for four-day weeks in Congress. "The sad reality is, Americans now work more hours than the people of most other wealthy nations. And we're going to talk about what that means to the lives of ordinary people," he told lawmakers at a health committee hearing in March.
"In 2022, employees in the U.S., and I hope people hear this, logged 204 more hours a year than employees in Japan, and they're hardworking people in Japan. 279 more hours than workers in the United Kingdom, and 470 more hours than workers in Germany." Newsweek has contacted Sanders via email for comment and clarification on these figures.
Outside of the Capitol, numerous companies and non-profits dedicated to revolutionizing the way we work are becoming more and more notable. Several trials have been run in the U.S., U.K. and Europe to explore the potential benefits of relaxing more and working less. And it seems the younger generations are keen to capitalize on this growing trend.
Millennial Support
Recent polling conducted exclusively for Newsweek by Redfield and Wilton Strategies found that millennials are most in favor of reducing their weekly work hours. Surveying 4,000 eligible U.S. voters between April 6 and 7, the poll found that 63 percent support transitioning to a four-day working week, with 46 percent believing it makes workers more productive.
Millennials outpaced all other age groups, with nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of those surveyed wanting reduced working hours. Of those, nearly half (44 percent) said they were strongly in favor of a shorter working week, and a further 30 percent indicated general support for the idea. Only eight percent of millennials opposed the idea.
Their opinions are a far cry from the oldest generations aged 59 and over, including Baby Boomers and the silent generation. In all, 50 percent of those born in 1964 and before support a four-day week, with almost a third saying they neither support nor oppose the idea, whereas less than a quarter (23 percent) of millennials indicated the same.
The Experience
Numerous companies reached out to Newsweek regarding their experiences and opinions on making a four-day week work. The majority touted a considerable benefit to work-life balance being the best result of making the switch, with almost all reporting lower employee burnout and higher employee retention.
This was certainly the case for Kickstarter, who worked with 4 Day Week Global to implement its reduced week in 2022. "At the height of the pandemic in 2020, it became very clear that the way we work is way more flexible than we thought," chief strategy officer Jon Leland said. "The benefits of improved life balance for employees far outweigh any costs, and ultimately benefit the organization through higher engagement and productivity. It may seem scary because it's not the status quo but leadership requires taking risks and having the courage to challenge a status quo. I hope that more leaders are motivated to do that."
Given advancements in technology that have been part of an ongoing work revolution throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, CEO of non-profit JVS, said the traditional 40-hour workweek is outdated, and her company has benefitted as well as the livelihoods of her employees.
"The five-day workweek was created in a different time. It served its purpose, but today's world is more fast-paced and technology-driven than our workplace predecessors could have imagined," she told Newsweek. "Since implementing a four-day workweek, our results have been incredible. We've found our employees are more productive, report better work-life balance, and experience less burnout. Incredibly, our turnover rate has been cut nearly in half."
But like all things, such a change is not immune from problems. "Depending on the industry, compressing the same amount of work into fewer hours could lead to burnout, making it crucial to support the shorter workweek with efficient workflows and streamlined processes," Michael Baynes, co-Founder and CEO of Clarify Capital, told Newsweek.
"While the four-day workweek presents numerous possibilities, a one-size-fits-all solution seems unlikely. Success will likely depend on meticulous planning and adaptation to meet the specific needs of each business."
In certain sectors, such a drastic change is difficult to implement. Henry Criss, CEO of the Fraum Center for Restorative Health, said that the need for consistency and flexibility in emergencies makes the four-day week unlikely for healthcare roles. "While I see the potential benefits of a four-day workweek in terms of staff wellbeing and cost efficiency, its implementation in a medical practice like ours would create more problems than it solves," he told Newsweek.
Highlighting that patient service is the most important element, he said the "unique challenges" of a compressed week aren't as simple as "closing our doors one additional day each week without a strategy to manage or redistribute the workload."
The Incoming Shift
While the concept may not be as popular with older generations, younger folks in the millennial and Gen-Z brackets are likely to revolutionize the way we work, with businesses being encouraged to adapt to the needs of workers.
Penny Zenker, a productivity expert and strategic business coach known as The Focusologist, said there is a growing number of young people entering the workforce who "tend to prioritize lifestyle over a traditional paycheck." She told Newsweek: "This generational shift underscores the importance for businesses to adapt to newer work preferences and expectations, including flexibility, technology integration, values alignment, and more emphasis on lifestyle."
"A four-day workweek attracts younger talent, who are motivated by better work-life balance. Societally, this shift to a shorter workweek can lead to reduced carbon footprints and better societal well-being, creating a ripple effect of benefits," Zenker said.
Correction, 4/23/24, 5 a.m. ET: This article was updated to correct attribution of the quotes from Clarify Capital.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more
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