More recently, the idea of a four-day workweek has grown in popularity and become a highly discussed topic in both the business world and the educational setting, and a number of entities have already incorporated this practice model. While some proponents of the shorter workweek are in favor of extending the workdays to ensure the 40-hour workweek remains intact, others are proposing the notion of a 32-hour week being considered the new standard.
Dallas resident and wealth advisor Aaron Byrkit supports the idea of increasing the weekend by a day.
“I think a number of companies should consider moving to a four-day workweek,” he said. “Obviously, there is a great deal of variability in how different businesses and business types operate, so it may be less easy for some to move to a four-day workweek, but overall, I think it is better for the worker and, to a degree, productivity.”
Dallas resident Becca Finke, an environmental and land manager, believes that working fewer days each week will not lead to a decrease in job performance.
“I don’t think an employee’s work ethic would change with a four-day workweek,” she said. “Work ethic is an ingrained character trait. You either have a good work ethic, or you don’t.”
Dallas-area resident and high school teacher Megan England agrees that shortening the workweek won’t change the level of effort employees will put forth each day.
“Good employees will still be good employees, and vice versa,” she said. “Changing the structure of the workweek won’t change people’s intrinsic values.”
England also said that history, including the last few years that have resulted in unexpected changes in work situations, has revealed the need for people to create more work-life balance for both their mental and physical health, though that does not necessarily mean the number of hours per week will change anytime soon.
“Economics has studied the relationship between productivity and motivation/incentives with the Laffer Curve,” she said. “Post-pandemic, we have been seeing the easing of the micromanaged workplace. Some jobs just require more structure and oversight than others. I’m not sure the 40-hour workweek is here to stay, but it seems to be the subconscious norm.”
Byrkit said he thinks it is time to stray from what has been considered standard for so long.
“It seems to me that it should be something less than 40 hours,” he said. “Stretching the hours in a day out for four days can create problems for parents with childcare as well as for getting to spend some quality time with children during the workdays. I work four-day workweeks for two-thirds of the year. Those four-day weeks are 36-hour weeks. I find it works out well. Not all of those weeks end up being 36 hours, but sometimes they do, and I certainly feel more energized by having a little extra time off.”
Finke also believes that working fewer hours each week is the way to go, noting that incorporating the four-day workweek and keeping each day an eight-hour day is a viable solution.
“Texas defines anyone who works 32 hours a week as a full-time worker,” she said. “Let’s make it 32 hours and end on Thursday. Employees will have better mental health and be happier at work.”
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NatNews staff members and faithful readers celebrated at the St. Patrick’s Parade and Festival with hundreds of thousands of Dallasites