The four-day workweek is having another moment. This time, people are asking about whether moves to use tools that leverage artificial intelligence are making us productive enough to work fewer hours and arrive at the same results. Axios brought it in up in a news story, which was prompted by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (D) asking about this when on the Joe Rogan podcast.
HR Exchange Network decided to go straight to HR. We asked the HR Exchange Network Advisory Board members their thoughts on the shortened workweek's impact on employee engagement, and four of them responded. Their answers are not at all what most would imagine.
Q: How do you think a four-day workweek would impact employee engagement, and what should HR leaders keep in mind as they evaluate that impact?
Assess the impact on clients
"My advice to HR leaders and their partners on the leadership team would be to pay very close attention to your client-facing metrics. We worked with a Marketing firm that had gone to a four-day week and convinced themselves that it was a good thing – employees were happier and just as productive (or so they thought). We did not share that perspective.
Communication with us and within their own team was disjointed, workflows were not smooth, it look longer to get work done, it was harder to get what we needed and the quality of work declined. We fired them in March, and they declared bankruptcy in May. I truly believe they didn’t see (or refused to acknowledge) the inconvenient truth that the lifestyle choice they made may have played well for them in the short term but it did not serve their clients.
I don’t believe for a second that the four-day workweek was the direct cause of the bankruptcy – there are too many examples of success stories – but I believe it serves as a cautionary tale. For the shift to work, you need to have strong management teams, strong systems in place and a willingness for the entire organization to hold themselves accountable to the client’s results." -Jan G. van der Hoop, president, Fit First Technologies
Pilot the four-day workweek first
"The four-day workweek is nothing new. Healthcare has used all kinds of schedules, the most popular being three 12-hour days, for decades. Pharmacy departments, with salaried pharmacists, sometimes use seven days on and seven days off. Some RNs work every weekend, or 24 hours a week, and are paid for 32 hours. Companies should not ubiquitously implement a four-day workweek. Rather, run a pilot and evaluate the results. The HR department should conduct an analysis to determine which departments and leaders are best prepared to use and manage this kind of schedule.
I agree that managers need to be prepared to manage the workforce in a way that does not impact productivity, service etc. The pre-cursor to that is having strong performance metrics and clear performance expectations.
Secondly, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. It may be that a department functions well with a four-day week, but that some individuals take advantage or are otherwise ill-prepared to work with that schedule. The four-day week should be a privilege, not a right, which means that if a worker can’t meet the expectations, then they cannot work a four-day week. This means that a four-day week is a reward for meeting performance expectations." -Vaso Perimenis, head of human resources strategy and solutions at Ekstein Consulting Services
Four-day workweek depends on your employees' needs
“As HR leaders evaluate the impact of a four-day workweek, it's important to consider your industry's operational needs and solicit feedback from your team. Since healthcare is an always-on industry, we offer a variety of employment models, flexible schedules and work arrangements to ensure we can deliver the care our patients need 24/7. For example, nearly 25 percent of our team members work three 12-hour shifts each week, providing extended time off to rest and recharge after caring for our patients.
We regularly solicit feedback to discover new ways to enhance our team members’ well-being so they can enjoy life-long careers with our organization. Whether they need more flexible schedules to care for family or to advance their education, being part of Novant Health means our team members can engage in purpose-driven, fulfilling work that complements all of their goals – both personal and professional.” -Seb Girard, SVP and Chief People Officer, Novant Health
Could work for some and not others
"I believe the concept can be promising, but it’s far from one-size-fits-all. A 'success' depends on multiple intersecting factors:
- Type of organization and its mission
- Nature of job functions (e.g., creative vs. frontline roles)
- Organizational maturity (especially in terms of trust, workflows, and outcomes)
- Culture, both of the company and the country/community
- Voice of the teammate and voice of the consumer
- Readiness for AI and automation to take on routine tasks
Done thoughtfully, it can increase productivity, attract talent and improve well-being. But done poorly, or for optics, it risks spectacular failure.
It is important to remember that equity isn’t the same as equality. If some roles can participate while others can’t, or if workloads are simply compressed instead of redesigned, resentment and burnout can follow.
Personally, I support thoughtful, inclusive experimentation. Organizations that ground this shift in data, dialogue, and values, not just trends, are more likely to succeed." -Vishal Bhalla, co-founder and CEO of AnalytAIX