“A culture of busyness” is the phrase used to describe the American work ethic. Despite the “no one wants to work anymore” rhetoric floating around among those struggling to hire, Americans still overall embrace the daily grind as part of what defines the individual. As a new generation of employees come up in the workforce, they are prioritizing and demanding more of a work/life balance. There are mounds of research that support this shift in priorities, and show that a shorter work week leads to a boost in company morale and overall happiness among employees. There’s even a non-profit called 4 Day Week Global, which is dedicated to promoting the idea of a shortened work week, research surrounding it, and helping implement the transition from a 5 day to 4 day office environment.
This past June, over 70 companies in the UK signed up to be part of a 6-month test run for making the shift to a 4 day work week. Around 40 other countries from North America have joined the program as well. This experiment could be the inspiration that many others need to start their own transitions.
But, are Americans really ready for this? It’s hard to shake off the American cultural ideal that our lives largely revolve around work. Thanks in part, however, to the pandemic shifting to so many remote situations, the concept may be easier to get used to than previously thought.
Now a few of the incredibly talented faculty members at Wharton (Adam Grant, Lindsey Cameron, Matthew Bidwell, and Michael Parke) have contributed to a new article outlining some of the hurdles the US might have to overcome should this trend catch on. Take 10 minutes to read up on how we can embrace the shift if we are ready, and how we can start to warm up to the idea if not. As one CEO put it after shifting abruptly to the 4 day week; “Work will fill the space you give to it. My bet is that we’re going to become vastly more efficient from Monday to Thursday.” If the current research holds, this could be momentous.
