Most workers want a 4-day work week. Here’s what might make employers come around

The case for the four-day work week is mounting, but most employers remain unconvinced. That could change as companies grapple with the rising cost of labor and a shortage of workers.

In a recent study from financial publication Bankrate, 81% of people surveyed said they support shaving a day off the work week.

Those workers have more than the desire for long weekends backing them up. Study after study shows shifting to a four-day work week can maintain – and often improve – productivity levels. The pandemic was also an opportunity for white-collar workers to prove they could do their jobs with flexible schedules.

Historically, activism has been the main mechanism for gaining better working conditions. But given our unique labor market, employers might have a more straightforward reason to embrace the four-day work week: the bottom line.

When Frances Robertson, a marine biologist, was negotiating with her employer for a new contract, she didn’t even consider asking for a shortened work week. Robertson is leading San Juan County’s orca recovery effort. She’s also vice president of the union representing the county’s bargaining unit for employees.

“I didn't suggest we ask for the 32-hour work week, because I didn't think it would be something that would even be entertained by the county,” she said. “Nothing like that has been put forth in the past, so why would they take it now?”

To Robertson’s surprise, her employer was the one who first proposed shifting to a 32-hour work week. The proposal was the county’s solution to a budget problem. Current taxes couldn’t raise enough money to provide the salaries needed to attract and retain workers in this market. Instead of raising taxes, the county cut hours so workers would effectively earn more per hour.

“The workplace of today is not the same workplace that existed even two years ago – retention, work-life balance, compensation, and remote work, are all issues the county and likely most employers must find a way to deal with in order to maintain a workforce,” said San Juan County Manager Mike Thomas in a statement.

San Juan County’s contract is based on hours, rather than days of the week, because some schedule flexibility will be necessary to maintain services the public needs.

Related: This Washington county is moving to a 32-hour work week

The four-day work week is still unusual, but some local companies have experimented with it. Microsoft Japan saw productivity jump 40% during a four-day work week pilot. Others, like Seattle-based Uplevel and Bellingham’s Brist Manufacturing see it as an opportunity to boost worker morale.

The idea is especially popular with women, who often stand to gain the most from flexible hours. The Bankrate survey found 85% of women support a four-day work week, compared to 77% of men. Robertson understands why.

“I have two young children under five, and I'm really fortunate because they're both in the only daycare on San Juan Island that offers full-day care four days a week, but then you're still left with Friday,” she said. “I think that is going to be something that's really positive for working parents trying to juggle.”

To some workers, even the five-day work week looks like a luxury. In industries like food service and retail, workers often have to work seven days a week to make ends meet. Though they’re underrepresented by unions, that may be shifting. The campaign to unionize Starbucks stores is driven in part by employees’ seeking more control of their schedules.

The work week as we know it today was largely shaped by organized labor in 1930s – but not entirely. An influential corporation seeking to keep costs down – as San Juan County is today – also helped popularize the five-day work week.

Henry Ford piloted a five-day work week at a time when factories often required workers to be on the job for 10 or more hours a day, six days a week. The new schedule came with a pay cut for most employees.

Advocates for the four-day work week today are hoping to avoid that kind of scenario. They want wages to remain steady, citing evidence that a week’s worth of work can often be done in four days.

But flexible work is so popular, most employees in the Bankrate survey said they were willing to make sacrifices for it. Eighty-nine percent said they would trade something at work for a four-day week. The most popular option is working longer hours during the four days they’re on the clock.