Why a four-day work week isn’t “getting paid to slack off”

By Tyne Johnson-Dhillon

I'm chatting with some folks I just met. As we move through our small talk, the conversation reaches the classic “What do you do for a living?”. When it’s my turn to answer, I add that we run on a four-day work week at Bakau. For us, that means our full-time work week is 32 hours as opposed to the traditional 40 hours. It's a rare scenario where someone else in the conversation has also worked for a four-day work week company, theirs being retail. The rest of the group is stunned; the four-day work week is a unicorn.

Someone is particularly skeptical about this model. They assume pay and benefits are reduced to account for less working hours. It’s a common misconception. I share how the ethos of our reduced-hour work week is that compensation is not affected by the number of hours worked.

Their response? “Well, not all of us can get paid to slack off.”

How did we get to five eight-hour working days?

The way we see it is that a four-day work week is about understanding there is more to our humanity than working. Many of us believe a 40-hour workweek is the uncontested norm but how this came to be is more complicated. If we cast a line into the past, there is rich history about modern labour movements and business magnates that shaped how we work today.

The Industrial Revolution marks the start of labour that is characterized by industry and machines. Since newly minted factory owners wanted their machines churning as much as possible, it was common for adult and child workers to spend upwards of 16-hour shifts six days a week in poorly ventilated factories with limited breaks. Throughout and following the Industrial Revolution, many workers organized for labour rights in response to the inhumane working conditions and their displacement that came along with advances in technology. We continue to celebrate the spirit of these labour movements today through May Day and Labour Day.

Part of worker demands for safer conditions included days split into three equal parts. A common slogan that spread across these movements was “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will.” While improved conditions became a reality for some workers, the popularization of five eight-hour working days is closely linked to factory work à la Ford Motors in 1914.

Henry Ford was productivity obsessed and co-opted eight-hours days to serve his mission. He believed his five eight-hour working days at the assembly line cracked the code on optimizing labour input for maximum product output, all while keeping workers happy enough to come into work everyday. It was also part of Ford’s plan for workers to have enough money to buy the very cars he sold and time on their hands to show them around.

In Canada, it wasn’t until the 1960s that the 40-hour work week was instituted federally along with two weeks vacation time by Lester Pearson.

Why have a four-day work week?

Reduced-hour working is hardly a new concept. In the 1930s, prominent economist John Maynard Keynes famously believed his grandchildren would have a 15-hour work week. (If only he were right. The advent of consumerism turned the tides against that reality, among other factors.) At that time, the Kellogg corporation was also initiating a 6-hour work day with the same pay as an eight-hour shift. By the 1970s, the four-day work week was gaining momentum for both small and large organizations across Canada and the United States.

Eco-conscious organizations have made strides in implementing a four-day work week since one less day at the office is proven to lower emissions and increase the number of sustainable lifestyle choices people make. Staff at the David Suzuki Foundation have enjoyed four-day weeks almost since its inception in 1991.

Employers past and present who adopt reduced-hour working have varying reasons for doing so. Historical motivators were closely linked to maximizing output and thus profit for stakeholders as well as ensuring there was a reliably fit source of labour to carry out regimented shift work. There was also great hope that advances in technology and automation would continue to lower the number of hours spent working.

Now, rising trends of burnout, increased workloads, decreased wages and other widespread inequities have sown the seeds of discontentment among the workforce. The four-day work week has countless benefits from the personal to environmental to profit-motivated.

Stress is today’s silent killer. Research in Iceland from the largest study of reduced-hour working to date shows reduced-hour working improves employee wellbeing, relieves symptoms of stress and leaves workers feeling more energized for activities outside of work. These activities include more time for errands, domestic work, exercising, leisure which together improved social wellbeing not only for those working reduced hours but also their community.

The same research also uncovers that people were more willing to accept overtime work when the need arose. Employers have also seen that employees who work reduced hours make for a better performing company with stronger retention rates. Companies offering shorter full-time hours can also expect to be more successful at attracting employees. Many people-leaders have anecdotally shared that their teams have sharpened creativity and problem-solving after making the switch to a four-day work week.

Instead of slacking off by working reduced hours, employees are realizing more positive outcomes for themselves, their communities and their employers by working less hours.

What’s it like to work one less day per week?

While the four-day work week is an exciting part of my work-life at Bakau, I’ll admit I did have a bit of culture shock at first. I’d spent my whole life with three-day weekends as the rare treat you hope for around stat holidays. Suddenly, this treat was my normal.

I didn’t know what to expect. I hoped I would be happier. Would I also feel endlessly rushed during my shortened working hours? Would I have nothing to do besides lay supine during my new personal time? Turns out, no and no. The adjustment was surprisingly smooth. As much as I’m a creature of habit, I think we’re all more adaptable than we give ourselves credit for when it comes to allocating our time. 

Change is hard and not without an adjustment period. I was used to oscillating between feeling like I was always pressed for time or like I needed to fill my work time with the illusion of productivity. Now I find the pacing to be much more even with hours that feel more balanced with my life beyond work.

There’s an old adage about how work expands to fill the time available for its completion. It’s one that comes up regularly in think pieces about reduced-hour working. I think it’s a two-way street when it comes to actioning shorter working weeks.

On one hand, there probably are tasks I’m able to do more efficiently on a short clock – but that’s not where the conversation should stop. Because on the other hand, leaders should also be ready to sharpen their prioritization skills and be ready to manage their expectations, especially during the adjustment period.

If you’re someone who is used to starting a task Thursday and completing it by Monday, that’s going to go down differently when suddenly Friday is a non-work day. This is where the skepticism starts to creep in as people who may already be overworked brace themselves for overwork squared.

For me, strong leadership has made all the difference. Sometimes the tendencies to overwork are internal, so having reassuring leaders offer guidance on the importance of pacing and capacity check-ins helps me from slipping into old habits. It also gives me the opportunity to be active in practicing my own time management. I think more creatively and collaboratively when a task or project is bigger than the time available to do it in. It’s an exercise in expecting and accepting more generous timelines until the dust settles around the new norm. 

There’s no magic spell that makes a four-day work week possible, just as there is nothing inherent to the spell the five-day work week has on many organizations. Change of this type is made possible through intentionality and commitment from everyone involved.

How I’ve changed since working a four-day work week

I’m so excited by the variety I have in my life now. Most of the time, my extra day is dedicated to all the things that used to make me wish there were more hours in the day. Suddenly, there are. I’m caught up on laundry; I cook more; and, the dishes are done.

I also have time to get to know myself better. While I used to cling on to any moment of rest I could find, I’m now more energized and find myself having renewed interest in hobbies. I don’t feel as tired all the time anymore. It’s said there are seven types of rest, which include less conventional understanding of rest like spending time with friends and having time to be creative. Since introducing more of these types of rest in my life, I feel happier and more fulfilled.

The biggest change I’ve noticed is that I’m more present, both on and off the clock. I find my mind being more focused on what’s happening around me instead of stressing about what I need to do next. Being able to live in the moment has created space for me to move through my days more intentionally.

There are still days where I struggle with how my time is managed and get overwhelmed. I don’t think those will ever magically disappear. I don’t expect them to. What I now know with confidence is that I enjoy work more and I’m less scared of the dreadful days with the weekend closer than ever.