Workin’ 9 to 7

Dolly Parton’s famous song “Nine to Five” may soon become a relic of an older age.The traditional five-day workweek is in danger as the debate over switching to a four-day workweek rages across the United States.

The five-day workweek was born in 1908, when a New England mill accommodated Jewish workers by expanding the weekend to include the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday. During the Progressive Era of the 1920s, reformers attempted to modify the workweek to reduce both the number of hours worked and the difficulty of labor. They received a huge boost when the Ford Motor Company popularized the concept in 1926.

Agitation for a four-day workweek began in 1933, when Congress proposed cutting the workweek to 30 hours to crack down on unemployment. However, after the Great Depression ended, the standard became a 40-hour workweek. It wasn’t until the 21st century that calls for a shorter workweek were voiced again.

In today’s world, there are two different potential changes to the system. For some companies, including Shake Shack, the new 40-hour workweek would consist of four days of 10-hour shifts. Other companies are shifting to a 32-hour workweek that would amount to four days of eight-hour shifts. Either way, a workweek of four days rather than five would represent a significant step toward a healthier work-life balance in America.

International examples of shorter workweeks indicate a wide variety of benefits. According to NPR, Microsoft began a four-day workweek initiative in their Japan branch. The benefits ranged from reduced electricity costs to a 40% increase in workplace productivity. In order to achieve the shorter workweek, Microsoft slashed meeting times and reduced the use of emails by creating a collaborative chat. A 2016 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on other countries with shorter workweeks, including the Netherlands and Germany, indicated that workers have higher productivity and lower stress levels under a compacted system.

There are examples of the effects of a four-day workweek in the United States as well. Utah switched all of its state employees over to a four-day workweek, known as the Working 4 Utah Initiative, between 2008 and 2011. While there is little quantitative evidence of benefits due to the short timespan, anecdotal evidence revealed that a shorter workweek could boost productivity and reduce costs.

While some industries (like retail and food service) and workers (like independent contractors) cannot switch over to a four-day workweek without hurting themselves or their industries, most American companies and workers could greatly benefit from a compacted workweek. First and foremost, an additional day off would allow workers to spend more time in recreational and leisure pursuits. For instance, people could spend more time with their families or devote additional time to hobbies. Second, this would also save workers money by cutting one day’s worth of childcare and/or commuting costs. Third, it would free up time in the week for workers to complete errands and outside tasks. Fourth, employees would be more loyal to their companies due to a more comfortable work schedule, according to the Society for Human Resources Management.

American laborers already recognize these benefits and want to switch over to a shorter workweek. According to a 2019 poll by YouGov, an international data and research analytics group, two-thirds of Americans would prefer a four-day workweek if they were working full-time and being paid the same amount. A similar poll from Rasmussen Reports, an electronic public polling company, found that 53% of Americans would prefer a four-day workweek of 10-hour shifts to a five-day workweek of eight-hour shifts.

According to the New York Times article “What If You Had a Four-Day Workweek?”, resistance to the four-day workweek manifests itself in three key issues: lack of interest, little faith in employees, and misunderstanding of the benefits of a compacted workweek. Employers prioritize profit over employee satisfaction and often ignore the potential reductions in cost provided by a shorter workweek. However, if American employees join together and fight for a shorter workweek, we could finally find the balance for which we have been striving.