Unsplash/Eric Rothermel
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Ah, the elusive four day work week. Typically only reserved for long holiday weekends, but here’s an idea: why don’t we do it all the time? I know I’m sticking my neck out for you guys by saying something so controversial, but it must be said. Nobody likes working on Fridays anyway, so why not just give us that day back and we’ll all be on our way?
It’s not just for the sake of the extra day off, either. I mean, it is, but there are also some benefits that workplaces can experience if they take the four-day leap. Let’s explore:
More motivation:
You know what gets people excited to work hard? Knowing they don’t have to work. Give them an extra day off, and employees are more likely to be productive in the four days they’re working. Rather than dicking around for 3 of their 8 hour days, they’ll compact the work into the days they’re online, knowing they now have all of Friday to dip their doodle whenever they please.
You’re also more likely to have that self-starter attitude your boss and job description are always asking for. If you’ve got an extra day to yourself, maybe you’ll put a little more effort at the ol’ steel mill (assuming you work at a steel mill, if not, insert your chosen profession in the prior sentence).
Better collaboration:
When you’re getting an extra day off from dealing with annoying coworkers, you’re going to want to interact with them if you know you’ve got an extra free day without them. When Mark from accounting isn’t on your ass for a full day, there’s a good chance you’ll be less hesitant to connect with him on that new project that just came across your desk.
There are also some downsides though, remember that whole holiday weekend thing I mentioned before? If we shift to a four-day week schedule, your MDW day off is getting pushed onto Friday. You’ll lose out on some of the special days we hold so dearly, but wouldn’t that be worth it for making Thursday the new Friday? I think so.
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