This article discusses the shift from the traditional five-day, 40-hour workweek to more flexible work arrangements, including the rising popularity of the four-day workweek. This change is driven by a combination of long hours, remote work and the demand for better work-life balance, with 22% of employees in 2024 reporting access to a four-day workweek, up from 14% in 2022. Companies like ThredUp, Microsoft and Kickstarter have piloted such programs and in Tennessee, firms like BRND House and Nelson Mazda are experimenting with four-day rosters.
Sandra Moran, Chief Customer Experience and Marketing Officer at WorkForce Software, emphasised the increasing awareness among employers about the costs of turnover and job dissatisfaction, noting that employees now have more power, which is driving these changes in work arrangements.
Factors like the coronavirus pandemic, labour shortages and lowered barriers to changing jobs created an environment where workforce power dynamics are shifting. “When employees make demands, employers must listen,” said Moran. “There’s more awareness about the cost of turnover and the cost of job dissatisfaction. Coupled with this feeling that employees have more power in this equation, that’s driving these changes.”