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The Environment and the Four-Day Work Week

So I always thought the argument for the four-day work week was to make people more productive during the hours they’re actually at work. Shorten the work week and people will move unnecessary things… cough… Facebook… to home hours and use their time in the office to plow through their to-do list.

But the Guardian had an article about how environmental change rests on the four-day work week.

We also consume less in the process of getting our job done. Less work means less carbon-intensive commuting, less energy-sucking office space, and less time on power-hungry computer systems. In addition, working less would help to break down the work-spend cycle. Fewer hours at work mean we have more time to do other things such as travelling, preparing food or fixing broken household items. We are also less likely to rely on environmentally costly timesavers such as high-speed travel or takeaway food delivered in plastic containers by someone riding a motorbike.

So if we’re home more, we can find the time to do the things that we often say we don’t have time to do––such as cook a meal from scratch vs. use more energy having someone else cook and deliver a meal in disposable containers. Or take the time to repair something broken vs. dump it in a landfill and order a new item.

It sounds a little like the ideal version of what would happen if we had a four-day work week, but as someone who telecommutes full-time (no need for a work wardrobe or commuting time/costs/fuel!), I really love the fact that technology has made it possible to work with a team without leaving the house. I am productive because few people bother me during the day. I mean, except for Linus wheeking for alfalfa cookies.

Slack and Zoom make me feel like everyone on the team is close by. It took a little time to get disciplined and make work time actually work time, but now that I’ve worked from home for over a decade, I couldn’t imagine moving back into an office.

What do you think of the four-day work week?

10 comments

1 Sharon { 08.21.19 at 12:15 pm }

I love the idea of a four-day work week. I have a few friends who are able to do this at their jobs, and they love it.

However, given my personal position and field, I would have to drop from full-time to part-time in order to work four days a week. I’m not quite ready to do that, for a few reasons.

2 a { 08.21.19 at 2:11 pm }

I would be so sad if I had to give up my 4 day work week. And I only take as much overtime as I can get in on those 4 days. It’s the best – an extra day with the kid during the summer. A nice, peaceful day to do nothing the rest of the year. It means I can help out my sister by walking one of her employee’s dogs next week, so the employee can be on-site instead of 300 miles away (I’m even helping out the telecommuters!) Weekends don’t feel rushed. Errands can get accomplished while all the normal people are at work. It’s awesome.

3 Ashley { 08.21.19 at 2:22 pm }

At my previous job (which was almost 10 years ago now), I worked 4 10-hour days. I had off Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and I loved it. I felt like I got so much done when I was home and I was also pretty focused at work. I wish I could go back to something like that again. but I don’t think it will happen at my current office.

4 Charlotte { 08.21.19 at 8:31 pm }

In healthcare, most patient-care related jobs are 12-hour shifts, and full time can be achieved through 3 12-hours days. It’s only 36 hours, though, so tons of people end up picking up additional days, or work more than full-time by holding part-time jobs as well. it’s pretty rare to find people who only work their scheduled hours and nothing extra.
If you can get your schedule to line up and you only work your 3 days, it’s pretty awesome. Although sometimes your days can vary and then if are required to work, say every third weekend like we usually are (it’s almost always a rotation) then 2 out of 3 weeks are goofy because you generally get a day off the week before and after your weekend so you still end up with the same amount of total hours.A co-worker in my department has 3 12s and her schedule is Tues, Wed, Thurs 9a-9p which is the best schedule you can ever get, and she fell into that by chance.
But I once worked 4 10hr days but the woman who did the schedule wasn’t great about it. My days would always run in to my required weekend and spill over to the next week, and then all my days off for that month were all grouped together. So I had like 2 straight weeks off was scheduled all my days in a row before and after that 2 weeks with no break. It made no sense and I had time off I didn’t need, so I just picked up extra shifts. I think after getting scheduled like this that one month I went back to working 5 days. I told her if she couldn’t balance the schedule to make more sense then I wasn’t interested.

5 Working mom of 2 { 08.21.19 at 9:28 pm }

I don’t see how this is doable with kids. I have a short commute—15 min—and flex time (short lunch)-but even as it is I drop the kids at school at 7:45 and pick them up at 5 and our lives barely work. The extra day would be nice but I don’t have 2 extra hours a day. (I’ve occasionally put in long hours when needed but not every day)

I’d love a 32 hour per week schedule—my employer allows for it, and you still get full benefits (but prorated time off and salary) but my department would never allow it…

6 Lori Lavender Luz { 08.22.19 at 11:40 am }

I’m kind of surprised it hasn’t happened yet. I mean, it’s a sign of an evolving culture to have less work time and more free time. Ever since I got out of college I had the idea that there would be an evolution in what the work week looked like, and that it would go down.

Like you, I love telecommuting. Break’s over.

7 Geochick { 08.23.19 at 12:00 pm }

I’ve made myself a four day work week (plus) by dropping down to 24 hours. It’s been less than a year though and much of that trying to carry my old job which made it really stressful. I’m still in the struggle of finding productivity, and I’ve found it’s almost worse for me to telework these days than when I worked full time. A work in progress I think, I’m still working on what then flow is.

8 Megan { 08.26.19 at 6:02 pm }

I live in Texas and a school system here is piloting a 4 day school week. They have added an hour and half to the days they are in school and they get off on Fridays. It’s a rural area so most families need extra help on farms and most moms stay home but it’s helping families and it’s also saving the school district a ton of money by only operating the schools 4 days a week vs 5. I’m sure there are pros and cons to both sides but to me, life is short. I’d much rather have an extra day a week with family then work.

9 Jennifer { 08.27.19 at 6:08 pm }

Interesting idea! I’m a big fan of the 4 day work week that other countries have implemented to increase productivity and happiness. I love how you also argued from an environmental standpoint!

10 loribeth { 08.27.19 at 8:40 pm }

I always thought a four-day work week would have been perfect. There were certain days when we were told we should work from home, because of expected protests or whatever, and I always found I could get more done in four or five hours at my kitchen table than I could in 8 at the office.

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