Thousands of employees are testing a 4-day workweek starting today: ‘It’s inevitable we’ll see bigger companies doing this’
By | Jennifer Liu | www.cnbc.com
Thousands of workers across the U.S. are enjoying their first Friday off for the next six months in an experiment to test a four-day workweek.
It’s part of a worldwide effort launched by 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit associated with the University of Oxford that helps companies execute and measure the impact of a four-day workweek. This year, 38 companies in the U.S. and Canada are taking part in the program, with most running from April 1 through September.
Participants and observers around the world hope that if this six-month experiment works out, a four-day workweek could become a reality for a lot more people.
How it works
Through the 4 Day Week Global program, businesses go through workshops to figure out more efficient ways of working, get matched with a mentor company that’s done it before, and in the U.S. will work with researchers at Boston College to measure changes in productivity and employee well-being over time.
Most companies reduce the workweek to 32 hours over four days, rather than maintaining 40 hours within four days. The nonprofit calls this a 100-80-100 model: Workers receive 100% of their pay for 80% of the time and maintain 100% productivity.
