A 4-day working week is a modern arrangement that an increasing number of corporations are beginning to adopt.  The model operates by reducing the traditional 40-hour work week to a 32-hour work week, without any reduction in pay or benefits, meaning that everything else remains for employees, except for the decreased number of working hours.  As the same output is expected from employees, such a system seems counterintuitive.  However, this has been claimed by many to have demonstrated pronounced benefits for both the employers’ and the employees’ perspectives, resulting in improved work-life balance, reduced stress, and higher productivity for employees, and can help companies attract and retain talent.  In general, the said effects can be summarized into two main key points, as follows:

1. Increase in productivity from the perspective of employers, and 

2. Improvements in staff well-being for the benefit of employees.  

This paper aims to investigate whether the said model is as utopian as it appears, or if it holds underlying concerns that may challenge its long-term viability. 

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This distinction matters.  In order to investigate whether nine months is indeed considered beyond the period of a “temporary” effect, in this context, we refer ‘temporary’ to encompass the entire transition phase, leading up to the point when the 4-day working week is no longer an experiment, but the widely accepted society norm.  When a 4-day working week becomes normalized, it no longer offers contrast – the difference to “feel like you have more time than the vast majority of others working the regular 5-day week”, as employees may no longer experience the same psychological uplift.  After all, what is the definition of work-life balance and who defines the definition of whether the two sectors are balanced?  To interpret it literally, a 3.5 work week would be the jackpot.  When a 4-day working week becomes the norm, when everyone is used to the fact that everyone has 3 days to rest during the week, would one ask for a 3.5 work week to achieve an even better strive for work-life balance?  The very notion of “work-life balance” is socially constructed; when the baseline changes, so too does the perception of balance.  Working only 4 days is seen to improve work-life balance for employees as it is accompanied by a current “regular” 5-day work week.  When the former becomes the “regular”, would one fail once again to find work-life balance? 

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At present, during this (yet) experimental phase of the new implementation of working one less day is seen as a privilege by the fellow employees who are enjoying it.  The word “enjoy” is used because it is not broadly utilized at the moment.  It would cease to be so right when it is applied worldwide, and that is the moment when this privilege loses its special benefit as it becomes universal.  Circling back to the reported boost in morale and motivation, it is essential to examine the origins of these psychological drivers.  As motivations are categorized as either intrinsic or extrinsic, it becomes clear that the uplift resulting from reduced working hours falls into the latter.  Motivations rooted in external factors are, by nature, less durable.  Thereby, it is almost certain that the motivational benefits would fade once the rewards are removed, which is when working 4 days a week fails to be a privilege. 

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Ultimately, this paper does not seek to invalidate the notion of a 4-day work week, a concept increasingly supported by substantial empirical evidence and compelling real-world trials.  Rather, it aims to provoke critical reflection, prompting deeper contemplation on whether its current benefits are sustainable or merely temporary in nature, encouraging readers to consider the potential limitations that lie beneath the surface. Truth be told, while its durability remains critiqued, as an employee, I would wholeheartedly embrace a four-day work week – even if its strength proves fleeting :)

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Works Cited
Russell, Benjamin. “Four-Day Week Good for Workers and Employers, Pilot Study Finds.” BBC News, BBC, 27 Aug. 2025, www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlz6rwl95do.