"Packing 5 Days of Work into 4 Days" Strong Opposition to the Four-Day Workweek

"Careful Consideration Needed Before System Improvement"

Although companies worldwide are increasingly adopting a four-day workweek system, there are also many people raising concerns and skepticism about its side effects.

Foreign media such as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) introduced on the 25th (local time) the pitfalls of this system based on hundreds of cases from readers who have experienced a four-day workweek.

Many point out that since the number of working days is reduced from five to four, but the total working hours and workload intensity remain the same, it does not help improve quality of life.

"It's just cramming five days' worth of work into four days"

Photo by Pixabay

Jennifer Newman, who works at a large advertising company, said about the four-day workweek, "It's just cramming five days' worth of work into four days."

She worked a four-day workweek during the COVID-19 pandemic period according to her company's policy. The company's goal was for employees to work 8 hours a day for 4 days, but in reality, the working hours per day increased to meet deadlines.

Pierre Lindmark, founder and CEO of the management consulting firm Winningtemp, pointed out, "In fact, the four-day workweek may not be suitable for all business models or employees," adding, "When working hours are reduced, doing the same amount of work under tight deadlines can increase anxiety and feelings of isolation."

He added, "Before implementing organizational changes, companies should have sufficient discussions with their employees."

"What about frequent urgent service tasks... customers don't want it either"

[Image source=Pixabay]

There are also claims that the four-day workweek system is not suitable for certain areas.

Mike Groves, CEO of the security company Federal Lock & Safe in Arlington, Virginia, strongly advocated for the five-day workweek. He said, "Customers who need 'urgent repairs' right now do not prefer the company to be closed on Fridays," calling it "a system difficult to apply in the service industry."

Ben Thompson, CEO of the human resources management company Employment Hero, also said, "Especially companies that need to communicate in real-time with other companies can face great difficulties even with just one day off."

Considering the above cases, many opinions suggested that caution is necessary when changing the system.

Meanwhile, WSJ quoted readers' writings, stating that it is inappropriate to measure the value of labor solely by working hours and that 'output' should be used as an indicator.

Roy Erickson, chairman and CEO of Erickson Technologies and Erickson Software, said, "It is difficult to measure the value of work by time," adding, "The criteria for judging salaries and benefits provided to employees should be changed from 'hours worked' to 'required productivity.'"