Upon discovering that an employee was departing for a 50% salary increase at a larger company, Michael Arney, the founder of a Minneapolis-based marketing design agency with eight team members, recognized the need for change to prevent situations like this from happening again.
“I just couldn’t compete with the monetary offer,” Arney explained, reflecting on the decision-making process in January 2022, as he contemplated implementing a four-day, 32-hour workweek at his company, Halftone Digital.
In just two months, the transition to shorter work hours occurred without any cuts to employee salaries.
Halftone Digital is part of an expanding list of companies embracing a four-day workweek, contributing to a movement that has gained momentum amid a pandemic-induced reassessment of the workplace, as highlighted by experts.
Yet, the widespread adoption of the four-day workweek encounters significant challenges, experts noted. Let’s delve into the specifics of the four-day workweek and explore the possibilities of its implementation across the country by asking a couple questions:
Who’s already implemented the four-day workweek?
Numerous countries and several U.S. states have either shifted to a four-day workweek or contemplated making the transition, according to Juliet Schor, an economist from the Boston College Sociology Department specializing in this field. Spain, Iceland, and South Africa are among the nations that have experimented with a trial period of the four-day workweek, targeting specific companies and workers.
In the United Kingdom, a six-month experiment involving 61 companies and approximately 2,900 workers showed that 56 businesses, or 92% of the employers, continued the four day week policy, as reported by advocacy group 4 Day Week Global in February. Belgium implemented a law in November mandating employers to provide full-time workers with the right to request a four-day workweek.
In Massachusetts, legislators proposed a bill in April that suggests providing employers with a tax credit if they transition a minimum of 15 workers to a four-day workweek without reducing their pay. Meanwhile, in Maryland, lawmakers introduced a comparable bill in January, only to retract it later in the year. Additionally, both California and the U.S. House have seen bills introduced aiming to establish the standard workweek at 32 hours.
Is a four-day workweek possible for the entire United States? Certain experts suggest that a combination of increasing market pressure and legislative initiatives might eventually lead to a nationwide change in standard. However, others argue that achieving such a result could be extremely challenging, at least in the near future.
Macie LaCau is a passionate writer, herbal educator, and dog enthusiast. She spends most of her time overthinking and watering her tiny tomatoes.
