The weekend is finally here, and you look forward to a good time with a lot of rest. But not only for two days, but three. Surprise: This is business as usual, and not just because you took some extra time off.
The 4 day work week is trending as never before. Now, it’s not only something that cool start-up companies take on, but larger corporations are also starting to look into this interesting way of framing our work.
And what’s not to like? You get the same pay for working less with more time to spare on what you love.
However, you still have the same workload as before. This means, that structure is key unless you want to get stressed out and work more hours on the days, that you are at work.
So, how can you ensure that the 4 day work week will become a success – both for you as an employee and your company too?
In the podcast WORK 3.0 we had a chat about the 4 day work week with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, who is a speaker, author of several books, and founder of Strategy and Rest - a consultancy devoted to helping companies and individuals harness the power of rest to shorten our workdays while staying focused and productive.
What's New?
You might know the feeling of getting distracted during your workday, and sometimes it can seem hard to get everything done even in the timeframe of a 5 day work week.
"Studies tell us that an average knowledge worker loses 2-3 hours of productive time every day to long meetings, technology distractions, and interruptions in the workplace. (...) So, if you can get a handle on those things, you can come a long way to make 5 days of work possible in 4," Alex Soojung-Kim Pang says in the podcast.
However, the 4 day work week has been around for some time by now. So, is there something new to say about this way of framing our work?
"The most important thing in the last year has been that the 4 day work week has gone from something that seems idealistic and outlandish to something that's a matter of tactics and logistics. Now, it has become a problem to be solved, instead of a mystery to be unraveled. And this is a major advancement for the 4 day work week," Alex Soojung-Kim Pang says.
Furthermore, Alex explains that also larger companies and more governments implement and experiment with the 4 day work week today in their public sectors, and not only the smaller cool startup companies.
Rest, Positive Sides, and Pitfalls
Listen to the entire podcast on your favorite podcast player, and you can gain even more insights about:
- The story behind the 4 day work week movement
- The positive sides of having a 4 day work week
- The pitfalls and what-not-to-do when establishing a 4 day work week
- The hybrid workplace and the 4 day work week - can they work together?
- How rest can make us even more productive
- What type of worker and skills are great to have in a 4 day work week
- The best tips for both employers and employees to create a 4 day work week