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A Guide to Implementing the 4-Day Workweek
- Ashley Whillans
- Charlotte Lockhart
As organizations continue to explore a variety of flexible work options, one promising avenue is the four-day workweek: The standard 40 hours per week is reduced to 32 hours, with the same pay and the same productivity expectations. Research suggests reducing hours can benefit both employees and employers, but it can be difficult to go from the idea to a successful implementation. In this piece, the authors — a researcher who studies time, money, and happiness and the CEO of a global nonprofit focused on the future of work — outline a six-step guide to help leaders plan, pilot, and roll out a four-day workweek. While no change comes easily, the authors argue that companies willing to embrace models like the four-day workweek will find the experimentation well worth the effort.
Working less can reduce employees’ stress — without sacrificing productivity.
In June of this year, Kickstarter became the latest in a string of organizations to announce they are experimenting with a four-day workweek. Its employees will be working 32 rather than 40 hours per week, while being expected to achieve the same productivity levels and earning the same pay. Though some recent studies on the efficacy of the four-day week have been overblown in the media , research suggests that reducing work hours can decrease employee stress and improve well-being without impacting productivity — but only when implemented effectively.
Why high-salary jobs with long, inflexible hours exacerbate the gender pay gap — and what to do about it.
- Ashley Whillans , Ph.D is the Volpert Family Associate Professor at the Harvard Business School, where she teaches the Motivation and Incentives course to 2 nd year MBA students. She researches individual and organizational strategies to improve health and happiness, with a focus on studying how time use at work and outside of it play a role in mental health.
- CL Charlotte Lockhart is a business advocate, investor, and philanthropist with more than 25 years of experience in multiple industries both locally and overseas. As CEO for the 4 Day Week Global campaign, she promotes the benefits of a productivity-focused and reduced-hour workplace. She is on the board of the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University and the advisory boards of the U.S. campaign and the Ireland campaign for the four-day week.
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