The real reason a 4-day workweek makes people happier in their jobs—it's not just more free time

CNBC

5 days ago

It's not exactly surprising that workers support moving to a four-day workweek.
In the last five years, hundreds of companies have piloted a four-day, 32-hour workweek with no pay cuts to some 8,700 workers around the world. People experienced less burnout, stress and anxiety, and better mental and physical health. Employees rated their work-life balance higher, and even business profits grew.
There are two major factors for the boost in workers' happiness, says Juliet Schor, an author, economist, sociologist and lead researcher of the 4 Day Week experiments.
One, of course, is that people have more time for their families, friends, sleep, hobbies, health and communities, Schor writes in her latest book, "Four Days a Week."
The second factor, however, is that workers are happier even while they're on the clock. Simply put: The four-day week makes people feel much more effective at work, and that makes them happier in general.
Trial participants self-reported that they were more productive than ever after moving to a shortened week. When faced with the task of getting their usual amount of work done in less time, workers and teams found ways to cut out busywork, streamline processes and determine what work was actually most important, Schor writes.
Some said they felt more stress trying to cram everything in, though those situations were the exception, Schor writes.
Beyond maintaining productivity, "people just feel so much better," Schor tells CNBC Make It. "They feel on top of their work and their life, and they're not stressed out. They feel recovered when they come to work on Monday morning. They feel more eager to do work. They feel like they can get it done."
When workers feel like they're good at their job, they feel good overall, and that spills into their personal lives.
"That productivity bump they get, of feeling so good about their work quality, that has a big positive impact on their overall well-being, which we never expected," Schor says.
The four-day workweek could also make people feel better about their jobs because it signals a new contract between themselves and their employer.
The typical five-day, 40-hour workweek has been the national standard by law since the 1940s. When companies introduce a shorter workweek without a pay cut, the flexibility can be seen as an exclusive benefit or reward.
It signals that management is willing to give up some control over how people structure their time, Schor says, especially if part of the goal is to explicitly improve employee well-being.
The move can additionally strengthen teams when colleagues band together to work smarter in less time.
The four-day week "makes everyone super motivated to implement [process] changes, which aren't easy," said Jon Leland, who previously helped Kickstarter through a four-day workweek pilot.
"It makes the stakes really high, because you're not only gaining these efficiency gains just for yourself, but you're doing it for everyone else around you," Leland told Schor in her book.
"This accountability to co-workers is an important part of why people are willing to make the extra effort to find efficiencies, forgo goofing off, and do the hard work," Schor writes. "They develop more team spirit."