The concept of a four day working week has been picking up steam in recent years and June is set to see this idea being trialled by multiple companies that have signed up for a pilot scheme in the UK. Meanwhile, similar schemes are also taking place in countries such as Canada, Spain and the US.
While many workers - or should that be shirkers - will be elated at such a prospect and would be champing at the bit for this to become their norm, I’m afraid the reality of implementing this reduced work week is utterly obsurd!
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Benefits For Employees?
Proponents have said the idea behind it is that the reduced time spent working will be beneficial for employees and could in fact ultimately make them more productive, thus benefitting their employers in the long run.
This has no doubt been compounded by the pandemic and the many discussions had around work-life balance. However, there are multiple factors that seem to conveniently be missing from a lot of this central discourse controlled by a load of lazy bones, factors that indicate shrinking a work week could be a massive mistake.
With people having traditionally worked five days or more a week for centuries now, the dropping down to four simply isn’t feasible. Bosses will still expect to see the same results, putting even more pressure on workers over these four days rather than it being spread out over five.
While I concede there may be a short term boost, we would no doubt soon see a slump hit workers as they are met with the reality of hitting targets in a shorter time frame.
Pressure Will Be Ramped Up
By condensing the work into fewer hours employees are also at risk of putting themselves through too much, to the detriment of the company and its finances. In many occupations, there will be downtime in the work day thanks to the workload being spread across five days.
To condense all of that, I am certain, will lead to too much pressure to get things done. Plus this is bound to end up with employees getting ill as a result or taking advantage of the system, taking more sick days than they would have previously. This precious loss of time will be sure to hit profits, so they might well have to forget about pay rises.
Impact On Professional Relationships
While there are many work shy employees who would welcome this change it would not be at all beneficial for the wider work force. The drive toward working from home has already distanced employees from one another and another day off would only serve for them spending less time with each other.
Morale could well be at risk if this route is taken as the bonds between a team are broken down and colleagues become little more than strangers to each other.
Untenable For Leisure And Retail
Often overlooked are those in leisure and retail jobs who work outside of Monday to Friday 9-5 across evenings and weekends.
An extra day off would mean they’d be adding another demanding day to their plate as office workers flock to their workplaces, to gorge and drink themselves to excess no doubt. While they may have a four day week too, the stress that will amount on the days they are at work makes it an untenable move.
Current Perks Not Enough!
Furthermore, the last thing today’s younger people need is an opportunity to fritter away their time with a three-day weekend. The value of hard work seems a non-existent entity nowadays anyway, with people putting in less work and effort than previous generations and constantly looking for the easy way out.
Plus, they don’t know how good they’ve got it when it comes to their workspaces. Gone are the days of strict, formal office environments. Office workers today can expect to enjoy perks such as ‘happy hours’, ping pong tables and complimentary lunches. But still that somehow isn’t enough!
Ultimately, work conditions are the best they’ve ever been and to risk jeopardising company profits, and by extension the entire economy, should make a four day work week unthinkable. I think it’s imperative workers take stock of how good they’ve really got it and accept their lot.
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