Forget Four. How About A Three-Day Workweek?

“That’s good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with two-day workweek. Then you’re in trouble, huh?” – Ted Stroehmann

Just when you thought the three-day weekend was the way to a utopian society someone comes along and says why not four? A shortage of talent has one Indian company offering a three-day work week…(Yahoo Finance)

Slice founder, Rajan Bajaj, told Bloomberg that this is the “future of work…”

• “People don’t want to be tied down to a job…It’s the best of both worlds. Workers can get salary and full benefits working a three-day week, and spend the rest of their time chasing a startup dream, looking for a co-founder or pursuing a non-work passion.”

Slice began offering its three-day option recently, and it is betting its timing is opportune as millions of engineers are preparing to return to in-person work and keep some work-life balance after almost two years of working from home.

Proponents of shorter weeks are pointing to recent studies showing a boost in employee productivity and well-being…

• ICLEAND: Research out of Iceland has found that working fewer hours for the same pay led to improved well-being among workers, with no loss in productivity. In fact, in some places, workers were more productive after cutting back their hours…(NPR)

• JAPAN: Microsoft Japan gave its 2,300 employees the opportunity to “choose a variety of flexible work styles, according to the circumstances of work and life.” The results of the experiment were extremely positive, indicative that workers were both happier and 40% more productive…(Forbes)

It’s hard to tell what the result of a shorter workweek will be long-term. Even the researchers who found increase happiness and productivity in Japan wondered if the 40% productivity may not be realized once the shortened workweek is established. Meaning the employees boosted productivity for the sole purpose of getting this perk and then once it is established they will fall back into their bad habits. Is a shorter-week the next big thing in work or is it just the latest bad work place idea like the open-plan office?