The 5-day workweek is so normalized in our professional culture that it seems like that’s the way it’s always been, right?
False! 95 years ago, Henry Ford of Ford Motor Company revolutionized the working world by implementing a five-day, 40-hour week. Previously, a six-day workweek with 8+ hour shifts was the norm.
In 2022, it appears that the world is on the cusp of another revolutionary change as the four-day workweek gains traction worldwide. Could a four-day week become the next century’s standard?
In this article, we explore the concept of a four-day week and what it means for employers today.
The emergence of the four-day workweek
As a concept, the four-day workweek is not new. There have been whispers and rumours of its appearance for decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have jumpstarted the conversation and put it into high drive.
The re-emergence of the four-day workweek trend is yet another example of how COVID-19 has shaken the labour market to do better at protecting and supporting employee mental wellbeing.
The Adecco Group recently published an article entitled “Is the four-day workweek the silver bullet for burnout?” which investigated some of the largest international trials of the four-day week, including those in Iceland, Belgium and the UK.
But what about the four-day workweek trend in Canada? What are employers doing closer to home to enhance work-life balance for employees?
There are a handful of forward-thinking companies, which we’ll look at below, that are leading the four-day movement in the country. Their actions and data are drawing attention, too. So much so, that recently, the Ontario Liberal party announced that, if elected in 2022, they would trial the four-day week in the province.
The four-day workweek in Canada: 2 different structures
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the four-day workweek. Different companies have different needs and what works for one company won’t necessarily work for another. Industry, operational needs, and whether an organization pays employees by hourly wage or salary are all factors that may affect an employer’s approach and ability to alter the traditional 5-day workweek.
So far, it appears that two models of the four-day workweek have risen to the top in terms of popularity. Here are the two most prevalent “structures” of the four-day workweek:
Scenario 1
- 4 days of work (typically Monday – Thursday)
- 32 hours of work per week (standard 8-hour days)
- No change in pay or benefits
Scenario 1 is a true four-day workweek in the sense that employees work fewer hours overall.
Examples in Canada: Juno College, a Toronto-based vocational school, has its 45 employees transition into this 32-hour model of a four-day week in 2022. The staff’s wages will stay the same despite the reduction in hours worked.
Similarly, a software company in Toronto, called Alida Inc., is also starting a pilot project in July 2022 where employees get Fridays off work while maintaining their current salary and benefits. In both cases, the organizational shift was a pandemic-induced decision, made with the underlying desire to support employee wellbeing.
Scenario 2
- 4 days of work (typically Monday – Thursday)
- 40 hours of work per week (longer 10-hour days)
- No change in pay
This version of the four-day workweek is known as a compressed week, where employees are expected to work the same amount of hours overall, but spread over a shorter amount of time.
Example in Canada: An Ontario municipal government, the Zorra Township, permanently instated this 4-10 model of week in December 2021. Employees work 10 hours a day, either Monday to Thursday or Tuesday to Friday. Reportedly, 73% of the township’s 30 staff were in favour of the permanent policy after the initial pilot period.
These numbers match the results of a recent Maru Public Opinion survey that found that 79% of Canadian full-time employees are willing to work four 10-hour days.
Although these two scenarios seem to be gaining the most traction in the market, there are plenty of other work structures floating around out there that offer staff added flexibility. For example, companies are experimenting with offering shortened weeks seasonally during summer months when the weather is nice or making the four-day workweek a once-a-month “treat”.
Adecco Canada trialed the four-day workweek by making it optional for internal employees during the month of January 2022. Currently, Adecco is collecting employee feedback to determine the success of the pilot project and whether it’s an option that employees want to return.
The four-day workweek: employer considerations
Naturally, many Canadian employers are hesitant to adopt this changed workweek, especially since so many of the national and international findings are still new, and, often, collected from relatively small studies. The effect of the four-day workweek on profitability is also something that must be assessed on a case-by-case basis and is not simple or straightforward to do.
However, it’s important to note that the correlation between hours worked and productivity isn’t as straightforward as you might think. It may seem counterintuitive to spend the same amount of money for fewer hours in return, but many studies are finding productivity goes up (Microsoft Japan cited as much as a 40% increase) when hours worked go down—the positive effects of improved work-life balance and employee satisfaction bleeding over into the quality of the work performed.
Plus, the labour market as competitive as it is, being able to offer job candidates flexibility in some shape or form is critical at the recruitment table. Whether or not implementing a four-day workweek is feasible for your organization right now, all employers should take note of the big-picture message behind this market trend: workers want more flexibility. It’s becoming less and less of a perk to job seekers and more and more of a requirement.
Employers will attract more talent, recruit more talent and better retain talent if they’re willing to do away with the status quo and create a new (read: flexible) future of work. If you’d like market-leading recruitment support as your organization paves a new path forward, Adecco’s recruitment specialists are standing by—drop us a line today!