The 4-Day Work Week: Nothing but Love?

The concept of a 4-day work week is not new, but as employers try to attract and retain quality employees in competitive markets, offering creative schedules with telecommuting, more holidays, and a shorter work week can help employees to achieve better work–life balance. Employers in turn may benefit from quicker turnaround on assignments, improved employee satisfaction, and a more engaged workforce.

In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, author Juliet B. Schor contributed an essay adapted from her new book, Four Days a Week: The Life-Changing Solution for Reducing Employee Stress, Improving Well-Being, and Working Smarter. The book shows the results of research Schor led for 4DWG to study 245 businesses and nonprofits as they adopted 4-day-week pilot programs for more than 8,700 workers, in countries including the U.S., U.K., Brazil, Portugal, Germany, and South Africa.

The research showed employees reporting positive feedback on their schedules in which they worked 4 days each week, with no reduction in pay. A year later, only 20 companies from the study returned to a 5-day schedule.

Research showed that:

• 69% experienced reduced burnout
• 42% reported better mental health
• 37% saw improvements in physical health
• 13% of participants said they wouldn’t go back to a 5-day schedule for any amount of money

But how does a 4-day week actually work? Does a 32-hour week provide enough time to complete tasks with the proper amount of time and focus?

“At least some employees in some companies are likely feel increased pressure due to reduced time available for completing tasks,” said SIOP Retired Fellow Dr. George Alliger, consulting work psychologist and lecturer at Rice University. “And sometimes the work itself can dictate hours. For example, it can be difficult to shoehorn creative activity, intense problem solving, or peak bursts of effort into a standard work schedule. This means that limiting working hours can also limit creativity and productivity.”

When Microsoft Japan launched a 4-day work week for the month of August in 2019, the company also put parameters in place, such as mandating that meetings had to be capped at 30 minutes. The company reported that productivity increased by 40% over the 4 weeks, and employees also requested less time off—a 25% decrease.

Some employers might beg the question, if employees are capable of working more efficiently, meeting tighter deadlines, or holding fewer unproductive meetings, then why don’t they do so in a 40-hour week, potentially leading to even more accomplishments?

To that end, employers may offer different types of 4-day schedules, such as flex hours or 10-hour days instead of 8-hour days. Research shared in a January 2025 article in the APA’s Monitor on Psychology showed that longer workdays could be damaging to employees’ mental and physical health, as well as create challenges for parents of young children who must contend with school schedules and childcare.

The argument for a reduced work week made its way to the Senate floor in March 2024 via a bill, the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), and in the House of Representatives by Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who introduced companion legislation.

This bill shortens the standard workweek under federal law from 40 hours to 32 hours over a 3-year phase in period with no loss of pay or benefits. It also requires specified overtime pay for workdays longer than 8 hours.

“Today, American workers are over 400% more productive than they were in the 1940s,” Sanders stated in introducing the bill. “The financial gains from the major advancements in artificial intelligence, automation, and new technology must benefit the working class, not just corporate CEOs and wealthy stockholders on Wall Street. It is time to reduce the stress level in our country and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life.”

Although many employees proved themselves to be adaptable and efficient during the COVID pandemic as they worked in unique spaces at home and perhaps on unusual schedules, they also experienced first-hand the benefits of a flexible schedule. In turn, many organizations realized the burden of employees making daily commutes and the cost of a physical office, and enacted changes to benefit all. A reduced work schedule may be the logical next step in crafting and maintaining a satisfying, but still productive, work environment.