It’s been almost 100 years since Henry Ford instituted the 40-hour workweek. A lot has changed since 1926; we’ve abolished child labor, for instance, workers have gained rights that guarantee health and safety, and we’ve put a man on the moon! Thanks to technology, we’ve entered the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Ford himself would likely express surprise that while we’ve been able to humanize machines, little has been done to modernize the work environment. The 40-hour workweek was a carefully considered initiative, balancing productivity with human resources. Ford discovered that workers’ production didn’t increase significantly at more than 40 hours, and so the eight-hours-a-day, five-days-a-week schedule was born.
While the labor force has been slow to transform, the pandemic provided the final nudge that has woken the world up to the realization that the 40-hour workweek simply isn’t sustainable.
After months at home working flexible hours and schedules, employees, in search of the elusive “work-life balance,” are increasingly rejecting the status quo. Companies and industries resistant to change have suffered the most in terms of the Great Resignation, and perhaps now is the perfect time to institute change.
Productivity hacks and new ways of working have been floated around for years, from the four-hour deep work approach to the idea of a four-day workweek. Here’s a look at some trends in productivity that proclaim to give employers the best of their human resources while providing employees with more time to live life on their terms.
Why the status quo has to change
COVID-19 is often referred to as the Great Reset, and for good reason. The world as we know it changed forever, and people’s perspectives on work culture altered, too. For companies to retain top talent, a new way of working has to be developed that gives employers the productivity required to stay competitive and meet objectives but provides employees with the flexibility they need to feel fulfilled. According to Deloitte, productivity increased exponentially during the pandemic, and their reports highlighted three key factors: effectiveness, efficiency, and empowerment.
Empowerment was a particularly interesting metric that looked at how a greater deal of autonomy improves productivity. With employees are granted a greater level of trust, their working hours extended past their tradition 9-5 working hours. They were better able to integrate work into their lives. Overall, thanks to digital collaboration, employees were happier and more productive during the pandemic.
Anthony Klotz, a professor of management at London’s UCL School of Management, has looked into employee responses to returning to work. “The general consensus, as I’ve noticed, is that people are happy to come back to the office and perform their core job functions, but they don’t have a lot of tolerance for things outside of that. Like, if you’re making me come to the office or attend an on-site meeting, it better be good,” he explains. These insights are further backed by a 2022 report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The report notes that the pandemic left people questioning how they could better achieve work-life harmony and efficiency at work. During the height of COVID-19, millions of people discovered new ways to live and work, increasing the overall quality of life.
New Theories on Productivity and Optimized Schedules
In 2007, Tim Ferris debuted the Four Hour Workweek at South by Southwest. Shortly after, his book became an international bestseller. Since then, workplace productivity has become a trending topic, with new ideas, apps, and strategies entering the market, all in an effort to imagine a better work environment.
While Ferris advocates for a four-hour workweek, many have voiced their criticism that this approach is far too radical ever to be practical. Comparatively, it would be like inventing the wheel and skipping straight to the moon landing. But Ferris’ work has laid the ground for ideas like the four-day workweek and, even more interestingly, the four-hour workday.
Here are just some of the benefits of using deep work to achieve a four-hour workday:
Increased Focus and Efficiency: By implementing a four-hour work policy, deep work allows employees to increase their focus and efficiency. This idea is directly related to Parkinson’s Law, which states that “work expands to fill the time allotted to its completion.” By limiting work to a four-hour window, employees are better able to prioritize work that is urgent and important, effectively eliminating time-wasting, non-productive tasks. Because of the mental clarity and focus required to implement a four-hour workday successfully, employees are also able to turn in better quality work and improve on results.
Enhanced Work-Life Balance: One of the biggest pros to a shorter work day, or even a four-day workweek, is the improvement in work-life balance for employees. The increase in leisure time allows employees to rest, pursue other interests, and spend more time on the people and things they love. Happier, more fulfilled staff are 13% more productive, according to Oxford University, which only makes a stronger business case.
Reduced Burnout and Stress: Long workdays can contribute to burnout and chronic stress, which can adversely affect an employee’s performance and overall health. By reducing the hours spent at work, a four-hour workday can help alleviate these issues, leading to a healthier and happier workforce. Lower stress levels can lead to increased job satisfaction and improved results.
Greater Employee Retention: Companies that offer shorter work hours as part of their work culture may attract and retain top talent. Employees are likely to appreciate a work environment that values their time and well-being, leading to increased loyalty and commitment to the organization. This can result in a more skilled and motivated workforce, ultimately driving better results.
Concluding Thoughts
In the nearly 100 years since Henry Ford conceptualized the 40-hour workweek, life has become unrecognizable. Employees, no longer satisfied with the status quo, are looking for the work-life balance they achieved during the pandemic, where they were better able to integrate their personal lives with work.
Movements like the Great Resignation indicate that this shift is global and has serious momentum, forcing employers around the world to reckon with these new demands. Ultimately, workers are calling for more flexibility.
While the four-hour workweek is largely impractical, it has sparked conversation around new ideas that could make a huge difference in the employees’ quality of life while improving their output and productivity.
