Maybe it's time we discuss a 4.5 day workweek instead?

47 Comments

1. Stephanie Mansueto, Corporate Recruiter & Job Hunting CoachMarch 2,2022 at 9:35PM UTC

   I think a lot of companies already allow for a 4.5 day workweek in some informal fashion especially with employees asking managers if they can just cut out early on Fridays.

   I do think a pilot program for a 4-day workweek is the best way to go about this. Companies can try it out and modify as while tracking performance and productivity data and not promising anything to employees in the long run.

   The real value of creating a 4-day work week is to increase productivity over those 4 days and really allow employees to disconnect over a longer period of time. Plus, with how mobile our workforce is now, traffic times in urban areas and semi-urban areas just keep increasing so that half day on a Friday doesn't seem to make a ton of difference anyway. I've lived in Philly, DC, LA, and now San Diego. Traffic pretty much is horrendous starting on Fridays at noon so a half day doesn't help from that standpoint. I'd rather have the full day on Friday to start my weekend.

   I'm all for the continuation of piloting the 4-day work week for certain industries since a lot of the research coming out shows that productivity either stays the same or has improved.

2. Ardaman SinghMarch 2,2022 at 10:38PM UTC

   Very interesting and I am hearing similar suggestions from my hiring managers. I love trying the pilot for 4 days and see where it leads us. Send regular pulse surveys too and gage the temperature.

3. AnonymousMarch 3,2022 at 12:43PM UTC

   I definitely relate to this as my workday is packed and childcare / school mean that anything that goes against the grain of school and daycare is not a plus for me...I think this is just another reason why flexibility is ultimately the answer b/c anything one sized fits all will not work for "all".

4. AnonymousMarch 3,2022 at 1:07PM UTC

   I think you read my mind, OP! I plan to speak with my supervisor today about a 35, 36-hour-per-week schedule instead of 40. I'm hourly, and honestly can't even afford to cut back that much — but my mental and physical health have their own imperatives. Right now, doing so will be a pinch, but in the past, it was impossible. I'm hopeful that she'll agree. I contract with a pretty progressive company, and I don't think it will be a problem based on my status alone. However, it will solve a tremendous amount of problems in my life, so I'm planning to pitch my ask today. I love your suggestion. Few plans delight everyone, but I think such a schedule would help many achieve a better work-life balance.

5. Orlagh CostelloMarch 3,2022 at 1:23PM UTC

   4.5 day week doesn't give the same mental break from work as a 4 day week. Plus, if your commute is in any way long, as in over 10mins, most of the day is gone anyway, plus it's so much easier to find that half day being pulled away through "just one meeting" or "I need a quick chat before you leave" type conversations. If you're not in work/ on site at all for the day, it helps keep the boundaries clear. I've worked in places where the 4.5 day week is built in and it's only successful if you're strong enough to get up and walk out and not care who sees you.

6. Alexis SchraderMarch 3,2022 at 2:25PM UTC

   Yes to all of this. My understanding of the push for a 4 day week is that it’s not just about working less, but is meant to be part of a cultural shift towards valuing family/personal time more. An afternoon off is nice but it’s not going to change attitudes about how workers are treated.

7. Nicole FortuneMarch 3,2022 at 1:25PM UTC

   Any pitch of the 4-day work week option rarely includes allowing employees to pick their 4 days. Pre-covid we could telecommute 2 days a week. I kept Wednesday as my day and the other day would float depending on the week's activity. The Wednesday allowed me to recharge and regroup at the half way mark. I do not have kids but they are not the only life considerations for time needs. I think this is where the conversation need to start in learning your employees and there needs.

8. AnonymousMarch 3,2022 at 6:10PM UTC

   The best advice I ever got from a coworker transitioning back from parental leave part-time was to make Wednesdays your day off! It's tempting to do Fridays and have a three-day weekend but Wednesdays are so much better for running errands or appointments. And generally not working more than two days in a row is really nice.

9. AnonymousMarch 3,2022 at 1:30PM UTC

   Everyone seems to be talking about going back into the office. Where I live traffic is horrible. Right now, I have a job where I work remotely and would have a 2 hour commute each way to work if I had to go into the office. That's 4 hrs extra a day. I took this job b/c it was a remote position. 4.5 days wouldn't work. I would need to either find an employer who was. closer or let me telecommute partially. I think people forget that at this point, we've structured our lives (childcare, etc.), around remote and hybrid work. Alot of my coworkers live in different parts of the country and simply can't go into the office.

   I hope companies realize that their remote employees wil leave for hybrid/remote jobs if made to go into the office everyday.

10. AnonymousMarch 3,2022 at 1:31PM UTC

    I actually work a schedule like this. My counterpart works opposite of me so my half day (which is from home as well) is on Mondays and hers is on Fridays. We cover our 5-day week this way (albeit a little less in-office capacity on those two days), but we've been doing this for about a year and a half and it has worked out well for our operations.

11. AnonymousMarch 3,2022 at 1:38PM UTC

    My company actually does this. I work remotely 9's with 30 min lunch and 4 on Friday. It's great. It still allow time for appts with out having to use pto.

12. Tamara DeStefanoMarch 3,2022 at 1:53PM UTC

    I have had a 4 day work week for nearly 13 years now. When my oldest was a baby, I took a chance and asked to reduce to a 32 hour week, taking Fridays off. At the time, I took a 20% pay cut. In the 3 organizations I've been with since that company, I was able to negotiate the same schedule. I have always made sure I was available for emergency situations or questions even on Fridays, but the one extra day has allowed me to be a better mom and employee! I know I have time to get tasks done or spend time with my kids on Friday, so I eat up less work time with those tasks. If you think it would would for you, ask for it! You may want to try it on a trial basis, so you can show your employer that you will be just as effective in the shortened week as you are in a full week.

13. Paulla Fetzek, MSEdMarch 3,2022 at 2:16PM UTC

    Last year my company changed hours. We're 8am-4:30 M-Th and 8am-3pm on Fridays. It's wonderful. Especially for people with a longer commute. Thirty minutes can make a huge difference when it comes to Chicagoland traffic!

    Incidentally, most of the company is salaried, and people are still allowed an hour lunch on this schedule.

    Thus far, work hasn't been impacted heavily by this change. And there are many times that people still stay to 5pm to wrap things up. But now, for some reason, it doesn't seem so late!

14. Cheryl NeasMarch 3,2022 at 2:31PM UTC

    I actually did this, 90% time, for a while when my child was young. I had a mom-and-me activity that was important to me one morning a week and I negotiated not being available Wednesday mornings. It was key that it was morning, so I just didn't go in until after lunch. If it had been one afternoon out a week, it would have been much harder to set boundaries around. It's too easy not to get out the door once you're there.

    Also, for something like half-day Fridays to work, senior management has to do it, too. Too many people don't feel like it's REALLY OK to leave if the boss is sticking around. Closed has to mean closed for everyone.

15. Claire McCabeMarch 3,2022 at 2:40PM UTC

    I love this!!!!

16. njgwhiteMarch 3,2022 at 2:41PM UTC

    This is all over the news, media and conversations! We polled our community and an overwhelming 88 percent are in favor of the four day work week.

17. AnonymousMarch 3,2022 at 2:45PM UTC

    Prior to the pandemic even being a thing, I worked for a company that had 4.5 day work weeks during the summer. The requirement was that you work an hour longer each day and then on Fridays, do a 1/2 day. The 1/2 day Fridays worked but I rarely saw anyone working those longer hours during the week and when it happened, it was not for 4 days, more like 1 maybe 2. However for the 1/2 day Fridays, it was pleasant. It was a way to get caught up on emails, clear inboxes, and mentally decompress from the week because no one was interested in having a meeting, plus many people took off Fridays so few people were in the office.

    I think companies should really evaluate what needs to be done and how it can be done. The one size fits all mindset does not work. Now if the company is not a remote kind of company, then look at other ways to be flexible. Everyone does not need to be there from 9-5, M-F. What if I do my best work from 12 - 8, or your family obligations require you to be take care of things in the late afternoon so 6-2 works for you? A person who drives a great distance might benefit from a 4/10 because they are already there so might as well stay another 2 hours, miss traffic and have 1 day off a week. Bottom line is, did the job get done?

    I understand that some positions don't (or can't) have certain flexibilities on location, time, or because of the type of work, but for those that do, let's be flexible. State what the tasks, projects, timelines are and manage to that.

    After coming from a 100% remote company to a company that was 100% office but is now hybrid, I finally have the balance needed. 100% of either was too much for me.

18. TKMarch 3,2022 at 4:20PM UTC

    i'm already working an hour + more a day and so is my team. i end up blocking out friday afternoon for no meetings, but like OPs said, it can be to catch up on work or to go to an appt etc.

19. AnonymousMarch 10,2022 at 1:32AM UTC

    Well said!!

20. Ashley RichardMarch 3,2022 at 2:54PM UTC

    I used to work for a credit union that gave us a half day every other week. The catch was the week you got that half day, it was because you had to work Saturday from 8:30-12:30. So they actually got you in the office six days a week every other week, and for people like me with a 45 minute commute to work, they basically wasted my gas, mileage on my car, and my personal time outside the office because we only ever got two full days off in a row twice a month. No thank you to this.

21. Anjali MathaiMarch 3,2022 at 3:09PM UTC

    I love the idea of creating a work culture of a 4 day or 4.5 work week. Employees are more likely to work hard and give you their best, if as a company, you treat them like they matter and have lives outside of work.

22. Kendra PuryearMarch 3,2022 at 3:14PM UTC

    There is growing evidence that a 4 day workweek, well, works. While some of these trials are new, we only have to look to companies like Zappos who have successfully navigated employee-centered operations for years. I believe that, if we can set measurable and meaningful goals and then implement effective accountability measures (+ inspire employees with vision), we won’t need to count hours at all. Of course, this formula may not be applied as simply to jobs where customers expect to interact with a live employee certain hours of the day, making coverage an issue for employers.

23. AnonymousMarch 9,2022 at 6:02PM UTC

    That can be solved by having the employees who work on Fridays not work on Mondays, and they have their three day weekend as well. So many don’t want to or refuse to think outside the box.

24. Heather MaconeMarch 3,2022 at 3:25PM UTC

    My company does this with meeting free time blocked in our calendar on fridays. The time is to be used as we see fit, however we want. It does take a bit of a load off, especially where it allows 2.5hrs for me to do whatever I need to ahead of kids being home from school. Also, helpful when they have half days. I personally would advocate for this to be standard!

25. Thalia MoshosMarch 3,2022 at 3:51PM UTC

    I would prefer 4 day work week.

26. Carrie BaizeMarch 3,2022 at 3:57PM UTC

    I had a friend whose company did 4 days of 9 hrs, 1 day of 8, and one day off -- for her, that meant M-TH were 9 hr days, and Fridays alternated between 8 hr and off.

    I'm STILL trying to get my workplace to consider the model.

27. AnonymousMarch 3,2022 at 4:11PM UTC

    At a previous position, since our office was near a beach vacation spot, we worked 4.5 days a week Labor Day through Memorial Day, then switched up to 4 days a week for the summer. Traffic, vacationers everywhere, we only adjusted our 4 days by one hour a day to accomplish a full week. My father had the benefit of flexing a 4 day work week. He and his co workers would take turns alternating between it being a Monday or Friday to keep the work flowing and allow for a long weekend.

28. Paula BrantnerMarch 3,2022 at 4:30PM UTC

    I don't think 4.5 day workweeks are nearly as meaningful, especially if you have to commute to the office. If you have a commute, you don't get that time back when it's a short day, the way you would if you didn't have to go in at all. Also, if you want to make a short weekend getaway, working half the day would really cut into that as well.

    I realize this wouldn't work well for some companies, but for ones that functioned well remotely and which don't require everyone be together in person every single day, how about designating one day that everyone must have a full day in the office (like Wednesday) then give employees the flexibility to structure their other days?

    Some need a set schedule daily, such as those with child care/school needs, where working long days just isn't as appealing, or who have disabilities/health conditions which limit the length of productive work time per day. Some would rather work long days and then be able to take a day off without having it come out of PTO.

    As long as employees are there when they need to be, then don't force a single approach to the workday that may work well for some people and may be problematic for others.

29. Addie DeanMarch 3,2022 at 5:46PM UTC

    Honestly, I would rather a full day off every other week than a 4.5 day week. That way you could schedule errands or plans and not have to spend as much time and gas commuting for a 4.5 day week.

30. AnonymousMarch 3,2022 at 7:29PM UTC

    I had the 4.5 day workweek (if we're talking about a traditional office position and not work from home) and it was awful.

    4 day workweek is better imo. If you are going to work longer hours and still have to come in on a Friday for half of the morning, it's really no different than just working the rest of the day. I always felt rushed on the half day (or someone needs your attention before you leave for the weekend). Also, didn't eat lunch bc by the time we left and I was able to get food it would be almost 2pm. You're also still waking up early and commuting. Just not worth it.

31. JTMarch 3,2022 at 9:46PM UTC

    I finally made myself work 4 days a week and I have been able to manage my work in 4 days although it is hectic on Mon and Thu, I do my best to get through so that I can have Friday off. This has been working so well for my family and my personal time.

32. Liz MilneMarch 4,2022 at 1:57AM UTC

    Half days feel like full work days, and the extra couple of hours at home vanish like smoke. It's infinitely better to work four longer days than 4.5 'usual' days: you don't really notice the extra hour or so (unless your work is very manual/ strenuous) and you get the whole next day to yourself, no commute, no work clothes, no lunch/ snack etc... (I've done five half days, and then changed to two full and one half day: MUCH preferred the two full and a half, by... a lot!)

33. Teri GibsonMarch 4,2022 at 4:45AM UTC

    We are looking at 4/10's and other options such as hybrid depending on the type of work. Not only to help employees with flexible work schedules but because of commuting and high gas prices. We are looking stipends, etc. Any advice is appreciated.

34. Tiana MumfordMarch 4,2022 at 10:35AM UTC

    Good morning

    Sounds feasible if the work could be done in that time frame. Healthcare has done it for years . I use to work 4 tens it becomes taxing when children is involved it’s a long shift as well.

35. AnonymousMarch 4,2022 at 1:05PM UTC

    Employees who are paid for 8 hour days are, demonstrably (past studies, personal experience in measuring productivity and hourly yields in a production environment and then using that to price and schedule projects), only productive for about 6.25 of those hours each day. That leaves 105 minutes a day of lost productivity that is paid for by companies. Multiply that by 4 workdays and you have 7 hours, or nearly a whole day, of productivity lost per person in that time. I'm in favor of 4-day weeks with Friday off, but if you want that without an increase in hours Monday - Thursday, companies would need to see full days of productivity to make that make sense. I think it's an argument you could make, but changing human behavior is a whole lot tougher.

36. Stacey Hadfield LoweMarch 7,2022 at 3:08AM UTC

    I'm curious how productivity is measured. How much "unproductive" or down time is needed to be productive during an 8 hour workday?

    My productivity is measured by billable minutes divided by on-the-clock time. All billable minutes aren't created equal.

37. AnonymousMarch 4,2022 at 3:21PM UTC

    I worked for an organization that sort of unofficially did this in their corporate offices. It was never a policy or really even talked about but usually by 2 or 3 on a Friday about 75% of the 4 story building would be empty and we never really had to let anyone know if we'd be out. If we knew someone was expecting us or had work to finish then of course we'd stay, but within our departments it was this unspoken rule that we wouldn't book meetings Friday afternoons and we were trusted to leave or stay at our discretion. Work got done.

    It definitely can depend on the type of work and customers, clients or other departments you serve and when they need you.. but it definitely can work. And having just that extra few hours to run errands or clean or start the weekend early really can be a game changer.

38. Elizabeth CoxMarch 4,2022 at 3:26PM UTC

    I feel like the half day will not be super useful. There are so many parts of going into work that don’t change based on how many hours you are there. Maybe you can get a few errands done before the kids get home but over all the net positive is small compared to a 4 day work week.

39. Annie LimMarch 4,2022 at 8:32PM UTC

    Yeah I agree. The whole mindset of preparing for work just to put in 3 hours or so doesn't seem worth it to me. It's more time consuming and emotionally draining than it might seem on the surface.

40. tiffany birchMarch 4,2022 at 6:31PM UTC

    I've worked 4 days and found the incentive to have a three day weekend inspires me to complete all that is necessary. Most of my clients work till noon on Friday or at gone till Monday.

41. Annie LimMarch 4,2022 at 8:31PM UTC

    I'm very excited about the 4-day work week. I haven't experienced it yet, but I think that it should work perfectly fine. Could you go into the cons? I'm curious because I haven't read much about the cons, but I'm sure there are a few--nothing's perfect.

    I think that the 0.5 workday is inconvenient in that you're still in the mindset of having to go to work and wind down afterwards, so it could be more detrimental than it seems on the surface. It does seem like a nice compromise so maybe it could be an option for people who need a few more extra hours to finish work they need to complete by that week?

42. Clydene HorriganMarch 5,2022 at 9:21PM UTC

    One of the biggest downsides to a 4-day work week is that not all companies are doing it and they expect someone to answer the phone or email when they call a business. If every company closed on Fridays, expectations be would be ok, but then you couldn’t get done the stuff you can’t get done on the weekends today, so we’d be right back where we are with trying to schedule appointments with doctors, accountants, etc.

43. JTMarch 5,2022 at 1:02AM UTC

    Sometimes the world around us won't change for the thing we are looking for.
    If so we just have to find a way or a different job that meets our own needs...and no one would take care our own needs more than we make it happen to ourselves by searching in different ways. At the end, opportunities will come up when there is a strong desire and clear intent for good purpose. IT is hard to wait for things to happen in they way we wish to ! I tried and kept searching eventually I had one and it has been working perfectly fine for me. I feel I got out from the traped rat race!

44. Kathleen Thornton LintaMarch 5,2022 at 1:39PM UTC

    I am all for it! I instituted a 4 1/2 day workweek in my company early on and it worked for 30 years. It started in the summers as a response to crazy traffic in Connecticut on Friday afternoons and quickly evolved into a full time benefit. It allowed my employees the freedom to start their weekend early (we closed at 1 on Fridays) and my employees were happier and more productive when in the office.

45. AnonymousMarch 5,2022 at 1:49PM UTC

    My two cents. In America, we think someone who works 60 hours a week as some badge of honor. I digress. We know that studies show that stress and overworking can lead to health complications. That being said, I’m for a 4-day work week. Many of my co-workers in a manufacturing facility work Mon-Thursday. I’m the unfortunate one who works 5 day weeks and always work overtime.

    Let’s be honest, some industries cannot do a 4 day work week, but some can! I’m all for it. This would promote a work-life balance so people can actually take care of their personal lives outside of work—because not everything can be done on the weekend.

46. AnonymousMarch 5,2022 at 7:23PM UTC

    Nope, 4 day week or 5. Because 4.5 becomes 5 on busy weeks yet the company feels they are doing you a favor by saying they allow 4.5 days.

47. Stacey Hadfield LoweMarch 7,2022 at 3:10AM UTC

    I just transitioned to 4 day work weeks with the intent of working 32 hours. I'm averaging about 35 hours/week to get everything done, but I LOVE having a three day weekend every week. I prefer 4 days to 4.5, it's not worth it to me to invest the resources to go to work for only 1/2 day.