Companies Exploring Four-Day Workweeks to Combat Burnout and Boost Employee Retention

Companies experimenting with a four-day workweek are aiming to reduce employee burnout and retain talent by offering a better work-life balance, according to Dale Whelehan, CEO of 4 Day Week Global. This organization helps guide businesses through the process of shortening work hours over several months, and Whelehan sees this trend gaining momentum, particularly in Australia, Europe, and Japan. While the four-day workweek is not as prevalent in the United States, interest in the concept appears to be growing. A 2022 Gallup poll revealed that 8% of American full-time employees worked four days a week, a modest increase from 5% in 2020.

Whelehan spoke to the Associated Press about why companies should consider adopting a four-day workweek and how it could benefit both employers and employees. His responses provide insight into the broader implications of this shift and the potential positive outcomes for productivity, equity, and well-being. Below are his thoughts on the subject, edited for clarity and length.

Why Should Organizations Switch to a Four-Day Workweek?

Whelehan believes the real question is, “Why shouldn’t they?” He argues that significant changes are needed in the current work culture to address several widespread issues. He points out that employee burnout is rampant, and many industries are facing recruitment and retention crises. Additionally, stress levels in the workforce are increasing, leading to health problems, conflicts between work and personal life, and work-family tension. Whelehan also highlights the environmental impact of long commutes, which contribute to the ongoing climate crisis.

He explains that certain groups of workers are rewarded for being able to put in more hours, further widening social inequities. Stress, Whelehan notes, is a key factor in long-term health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. “Stress is something not to be taken lightly, and it’s only rising in our world of work,” he emphasized.

To better understand the current situation, Whelehan reflects on how work has evolved over time. His grandfather was a farmer who worked seven days a week with long hours but had a great deal of autonomy in his role. By the time his father entered the workforce, the landscape had changed, with his father working as a technician in a mechanical field, expected to produce products on a large scale in exchange for a salary. This shift, Whelehan says, led to the development of modern management, spearheaded by Frederick Taylor. It was during this era that scientific studies explored the link between fatigue and performance, which eventually resulted in the widespread adoption of the five-day workweek instead of the previously common six-day workweek.

However, when Whelehan himself entered the workforce, the nature of work had changed dramatically. Most jobs were now highly cognitive and emotional, rather than physically laborious. “The fundamental physiological difference,” he says, “is that our brain as a muscle can’t withstand the same level of hours of work as our muscles in our body might be able to.” Whelehan argues that the 40-hour workweek, which was designed for more physically demanding jobs, no longer fits the needs of today’s knowledge-based workforce.

How Can Companies Increase Revenue While Employees Work Fewer Hours?

Whelehan explains that reducing working hours can actually lead to gains in productivity. This is largely due to the fact that employees have more time to rest and recover, enabling them to return to work more energized and engaged. He notes that one of the key ways companies can maintain or even improve productivity during a four-day week is by shifting their focus from time spent working to outcomes achieved.

His organization, 4 Day Week Global, employs what they call the “100-80-100 principle.” This approach involves companies offering 100% of an employee’s pay for 80% of the time, with the expectation that workers will deliver 100% of their usual output. “We ask organizations to design their trials with that philosophy in mind: How can you keep your business at the same level or improve while working less?” Whelehan said.

By focusing on what drives a business forward and emphasizing outcomes rather than hours spent on the job, companies can reframe the way they think about productivity. This shift, Whelehan argues, is necessary for the transition to a shorter workweek to succeed.

How Does a Four-Day Workweek Support Equity?

According to Whelehan, the four-day workweek has the potential to address inequities in the workforce, particularly in terms of gender disparities. Currently, a disproportionate number of part-time workers are women, which often results in reduced pay despite the fact that many part-time workers produce the same output as their full-time counterparts.

In trials of the four-day workweek, everyone participates in the shortened work schedule, which Whelehan says leads to a more balanced distribution of household and parenting responsibilities. This change allows men to take on a greater share of domestic duties, helping to break the cycle in which women are forced to reduce their working hours and pay, while men work longer hours in more stressful jobs to make up for the financial shortfall.

Without the switch to a shorter workweek, Whelehan explains, this cycle perpetuates itself: “It just creates this vicious cycle.”

What Kinds of Work Could Potentially Be Dropped to Increase Productivity?

One of the most obvious areas where companies could save time is in meetings. Whelehan believes that the current workplace culture is “addicted to meetings,” and the issue has only worsened since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He attributes this to a culture of indecisiveness, where decision-making is delayed or many people are involved in the process to spread responsibility thin. As a result, no one takes full responsibility, and productivity suffers.

In Whelehan’s view, trimming unnecessary meetings is a crucial step in improving productivity during a four-day workweek. He believes that this, along with other time-saving measures, can help companies make the transition successfully while maintaining or even increasing their output.

While the four-day workweek is still relatively uncommon in the United States, its potential benefits—ranging from reduced burnout and improved work-life balance to greater equity and increased productivity—are hard to ignore. Companies willing to take the plunge may find that both their employees and their bottom line benefit from the change.