The traditional 5-day working week is slowly becoming outdated. There are lots of things we want to be able to do, but just don’t have the time. We have more opportunities than ever before to explore different things, and 3 is a lot better than 2 if we are going to get it all done. This doesn’t necessarily mean doing less work or copying other people's work, we still have to stay away from various types of plagiarism. The 4-day workweek has the potential to make us more productive and get more done in less time. It also allows us time to prepare for the week, keep healthy and spend time with our friends and families.
Norway is ranked as the second most productive country, despite this, they are only expected to work 27 hours a week. They are also said to be some of the happiest people on the planet. Happy employees tend to be more productive, so the two go hand in hand. Happy workers also take more pride in their work and make for happier customers. When customers are satisfied their loyalty increases which results in the business doing better. It may also allow people time to exercise or prepare their lunches for the week - staying healthy also increases productivity.
A good work-life balance is important. It allows people to pursue other interests which can also positively impact their work. Exploring other interests may make them more creative or may give them the opportunity to network with different people who could have huge advantages in their work. This can happen in unexpected ways, for example, an event planner may find the time to take up hula-hooping, hula-hooping may then become a theme at the next event! Or someone might work for a window supplier and meet someone at a running club who builds houses.
It may also allow people to spend more time with their families. Parents investing more time in their children will help the future generations too. When parents spend more time with their children it can help them to do better at school and be more confident.
Having a 4-day work week also helps companies retain employees, as when you have the opportunity to work good hours you may never want to leave that job! Retaining employees is important for any successful business.
Other benefits for businesses could be reduced costs. It costs to keep places open and keep people working, if people can do more in less time then it can be more efficient for everyone. It may also stop people from taking days off sick, especially due to things such as stress.
A 4-day work week doesn’t suit every business. It can also be very hard to implement when competitors are still working for 5 days. However, there are so many advantages to a 4-day work week and it does seem to be the future. It has the power to save money, increase productivity, retain employees and heighten everyone's overall wellbeing.
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