A four-day workweek is an emerging concept that is increasingly getting popular in many large companies. It means working for only four days in a week instead of the usual standard five days. It however does not translate to less work in a day because the workers still maintain the same number of working hours in a week by changing an eight hour work day to a ten hour work day thus maintaining the same wage.
This concept like any other new concept has its pros and cons to both the employer and employees. Bammel gives a number of advantages and disadvantages (169).
An example of an advantage given is the employees are able to cut costs on fuel because the prolonged working hours helps them evade the heavy traffic during rush hour.
A number of disadvantages are also realized from this article. One of them is fewer employees are present at each given time to deal with customers because different employees take offs at different days. This kind of arrangement can also be very strenuous and can cause stress. More expenses are also incurred for example for employees with children who will need more money to pay baby sitters and baby care programs during working hours. If a business is considering introducing a four-day workweek, the advantages and disadvantages must be considered.
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Advantages of a four-day workweek
Some advantages include decrease in the use of utilities, saving money and also the utility bills are reduced. All this leads to another advantage of increasing savings. The four-day workweek boosts the morale of the workers. They tend to be more productive under this form of program and this increases the profit margins of the company.
Hameed and Paul points out to more of these advantages (3).
One of them is that the employees get extra off-days in a year and this way they have more free time to themselves. This leads to another advantage; less absenteeism among the employees because they have more time to themselves to handle their personal problems. This kind of workweek also helps in saving the environment because of less gas emissions. Job satisfaction among workers is also evident and also a decrease in levels of family- work related conflicts.
Disadvantages of a four-day workweek
According to Maklan a four-day workweek offers great advantages but it also has its share of disadvantages (87).
For example the increase in working hours a day leads to employees wanting more breaks and thus a decrease in productivity. A change into a four day workweek could also lead into a drop in sales. Some employers might decide to cut wages if such a program is enforced. It’s also very stressful to jungle a ten hour work day and personal life.
Conclusion
The advantages and disadvantages of a four day work week need to be very carefully considered in order to avoid overlooking some issues.
