Is a four-day work week right for my business?

The four-day work week (typically 32 hours over 4 days, with 3-day weekends) has been a trending topic in recent years as companies experiment with flexible schedules. High-profile trials have shown promising results – for instance, nearly half of companies in a large trial reported productivity improved, and 86% were likely to continue with the 4-day week after the trial​. However, whether it’s right for your business depends on several factors. Let’s look at pros, cons, and considerations:

Potential Benefits (Pros):

• Boosted productivity: Studies and trials have found that when implemented correctly, a 4-day week can maintain or even increase employee productivity. Workers often become more focused, waste less time, and prioritize better knowing they have an extra day off. In many cases, 5 days of work are compressed efficiently into 4.
• Improved employee morale and well-being: An extra day off gives employees more time to rest, recover, and attend to personal matters. This can lead to higher job satisfaction, better work-life balance, and lower burnout. Happier employees can mean better retention – fewer people quitting – and it can be a selling point in recruiting top talent. Your business could stand out as a desirable place to work.
• Lower overhead costs: If your entire company is closed one extra day per week, you might save marginally on some overhead (utilities, etc.). Also, if commuting is a factor, employees save on commute costs (this doesn’t directly benefit the business’s finances but contributes to employee satisfaction). Additionally, some companies find that fewer meetings and more async work in a 4-day model actually streamline operations.
• Attractiveness to clients: This one can go either way (see cons), but some businesses use it as a branding advantage – for example, a creative agency might market that its team is more energized and creative thanks to a 4-day week, implying clients get better output.

Challenges (Cons):

• Customer/client expectations: If your business involves customer service or client interactions, being closed or understaffed on a typical workday (e.g. Friday) might inconvenience customers. You’ll need to manage expectations or find workarounds (some companies stagger employees’ off-days so the business is still open 5 days). If clients expect availability five days a week, a strict 4-day week could cause friction.
• Not suitable for all industries: In sectors like retail, hospitality, healthcare, or any that require continuous coverage, a four-day week for everyone is hard to implement. You might need shift work or rotating schedules, which complicates the simple idea of everyone off on Friday. For manufacturing or output-based work, cutting a day might reduce output unless you extend hours on the other days, which could strain workers.
• Potential for compressed stress: Some employees might find a 4-day schedule hectic if it means longer workdays (e.g. four 10-hour days) or cramming tasks. The extra day off is only beneficial if the four working days are not overwhelming. Poor implementation (like expecting the same volume of meetings and work without any efficiency improvements) can lead to stressed employees during those four days.
• Coordination issues: If some companies adopt a 4-day week and others don’t, there may be coordination gaps. For instance, if your vendors or partners operate on Fridays but your team doesn’t, it could delay communications or projects. Similarly, if you stagger employees (some off Monday, some off Friday, etc.), you need excellent communication protocols so nothing falls through the cracks on someone’s off day.

Considerations for deciding:

Evaluate your business operations: Can work be reorganized to fit into 4 days? Perhaps focus time (no-meeting days) and process improvements can eliminate waste. Trial it: You might run a pilot for a few months to measure impacts on productivity, sales, customer satisfaction, etc. Also survey your employees – are they in favor? Their buy-in and input on how to restructure work is crucial.

Another model to consider is the “4-day summer” many companies do (shorter hours or closed on Fridays during summer months when business may be slower). This can be a way to test it out.

Ultimately, if your business can maintain output and keep customers happy in 4 days, the benefits to employee well-being and morale can be substantial. It requires thoughtful planning, but many companies report it forces them to work smarter, not harder.