The four-day work week
Apparently less is more when it comes to work
The four-day work week is an idea that a small number of companies have been implementing over the last few years. It is safe to say that the pandemic has changed many structures and systems in our society. It has forced us to question the powers that rule over us.
It has forced us to mobilize for a world we want to live in. From work from home remote jobs to hybrid jobs, the workforce has been headed towards transformative change. This has been seen through the use of the four-day work week.
The four-day work week allows you to have more time for yourself and your hobbies. It allows you to spend time with your loved ones. It allows you to remember the things that actually matter.
It creates an opportunity for people to focus on things other than working. Additionally, this is what will heal a generation of workers from burnout. Providing people with enough time off is what ultimately decreases the level of burnout that we are used to witnessing. Boosted productivity is a byproduct of the four-day work week.
The four-day work week trial in Iceland, in a report by the Association for Sustainability and Democracy & Autonomy (Alda), has highlighted that reducing work hours without reducing salaries often leads to the same productivity or much greater productivity. This trial ran from 2015 to 2019.
This study is now cited as a successful case study that pleads the case for utilizing shorter work weeks. It involved over 2,500 workers, around 1 per cent of Icelandic workers.
Moreover, the unique thing about this trial is that there were no pay cuts. This shows that employees are able to be more focused and efficient during work hours by cutting out unnecessary meetings and focusing on important tasks. Having an extra day to rest and recharge allows individuals to return to work with more energy.
Organizations in Canada love to boast about work-life balance but reality paints a drastically different image. Work-life balance is often a myth that employers dangle over their employees as a means of roping them in. Ultimately, a four-day work week leads to higher retention rate amongst employees.
The most important point is that a four-day work week could lead to a reduction in operation costs. Fewer days in the office allows employers to save on utilities and daily expenses. Combined with remote or hybrid settings, this could lead for more money for employers, and that is what employers value more than their employees.
In an ideal world, the money saved from a four-day work week would be re-invested into employee benefits such as professional development. Unfortunately, we live in the real world where many employers value profit over people.
The four-day work week allows individuals to have more flexibility. We are not born to work ourselves to death. It is one of the most daunting aspects of adulting. The reality that after decades of academia that started in childhood, the bright future that awaits us is being used as vessels to make money by organizations is disheartening.
This money is not even for ourselves, rather it is for employers who are ready to line their cheques and leave their employees in the dark to suffer. Living is no longer enough. Thriving is the end goal.
