Would a 4 day work week work in the US? Experts estimate

The prospect of cutting a day off your schedule each week without a lower paycheck is a big deal for workers, so it’s no surprise that numerous studies show that employees love the idea of ​​a 4- daily – especially in this age of high burnout.

While some experts say the shorter work week could be a great solution for some industries, skeptics say its widespread adoption would never work in America.

“There is truth to the idea of ​​working ‘smarter, not harder,’ and research supports that well-rested, motivated employees tend to be more productive and creative,” said Sunny Bonnell, CEO of branding agency Motto.

Bonnell argues that a 4-day work week can encourage people to “prioritize high-value tasks, minimize distractions, and focus on results rather than hours.”

Bonnell says companies with forward-thinking, people-focused cultures, such as those in the tech or creative industries, are likely to lead the way by integrating shorter work weeks to boost morale and prevent burnout, and says such companies can see higher retention rates and higher productivity as employees act. in a culture that values ​​balance and innovation during clean hours.

The brand expert said a shorter work week could have a positive impact on the environment by reducing travel days.

Julia Hobsbawm, a workplace futurist and author who predicted hybrid work years before the pandemic, said the move to a system that would mean a 20% reduction in working hours for 100% pay “is laudable, but I don’t think that it will work.”

Hobsbawm said today’s job market simply cannot be compared exactly to Henry Ford’s 40-hour workforce, noting that new technology is pervasive, causing some workers to bring their work home thanks to the advent of electronic mail and smart devices, so their working hours are not limited to the factory floor.

Many companies experimenting with the 4-day week structure their systems not around a strict 4-day schedule, Hobsbawm noted, but instead around building flexible arrangements that fit the needs of individual workers and companies. For example, some workers may be able to choose to work two half days instead of taking a day off.

“I think the four-day working week movement will join the likes of the universal basic income campaign and remain a bit small, but could still affect businesses as a whole,” Hobsbawm said.

Preston Taylor, head of people and culture at Human Capital Management (HCM) startup Helios, says he believes there are positives to the 4-day work week, but also “believes it would struggle to be successful in a much larger economy and work-fixed culture like ours in the US.

Taylor said it may be successful in some US industries such as technology, government and finance, but it would definitely create major disruptions and increased costs for other industries such as health care, retail, manufacturing and some other companies. based on production-dependent services. schedules, important customer service needs and organizations that must operate 24/7.

Cardone Capital CEO Grant Cardone told FOX Business, “four-day work weeks would be a disaster for this country, which has already exported many jobs to other countries with better work ethics.”

The private equity fund manager and real estate investor argued that the housing industry, for example, cannot operate on a 4-day work week and asked rhetorically how the country would be able to keep up with what there is already a housing shortage if the US were to impose such a system.

Cardone also says a shorter work week would accelerate robot technology and artificial intelligence (AI) replacing humans in the workplace.

“Be careful what you ask of people – one day you won’t have anything to do,” he added. “Work is the greatest gift given to us. The harder I work, the happier I am.”