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  • September 28, 2021
  • Editorial
  • Harvard Business Review (website)

A Guide to Implementing the 4-Day Workweek: Working Less Can Reduce Employees' Stress—Without Sacrificing Productivity

By: Ashley Whillans and Charlotte Lockhart
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

As organizations continue to explore a variety of flexible work options, one promising avenue is the four-day workweek: The standard 40 hours per week is reduced to 32 hours, with the same pay and the same productivity expectations. Research suggests reducing hours can benefit both employees and employers, but it can be difficult to go from the idea to a successful implementation. In this piece, the authors—a researcher who studies time, money, and happiness and the CEO of a global nonprofit focused on the future of work—outline a six-step guide to help leaders plan, pilot, and roll out a four-day workweek. While no change comes easily, the authors argue that companies willing to embrace models like the four-day workweek will find the experimentation well worth the effort.

Keywords

Workweek; Stress; Employees; Health; Performance Productivity; Organizational Change and Adaptation

Citation

Whillans, Ashley, and Charlotte Lockhart. "A Guide to Implementing the 4-Day Workweek: Working Less Can Reduce Employees' Stress—Without Sacrificing Productivity." Harvard Business Review (website) (September 28, 2021).
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About The Author

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • July 2022
    • Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

    The Developmental Origins and Behavioral Consequences of Attributions for Inequality

    By: Antonya Marie Gonzalez, Lucia Macchia and Ashley V. Whillans
    • May 2022
    • Lancet Public Health

    Policy Stringency and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data from 15 Countries

    By: Lara B. Aknin, Bernardo Andretti, Rafael Goldszmidt, John F. Helliwell, Anna Petherick, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Daisy Fancourt, Elkhonon Goldberg, Sarah P. Jones, Ozge Karadag, Elie Karam, Richard Layard, Shekhar Saxena, Emily Thornton, Ashley Whillans and Jamil Zaki
    • March 2022 (Revised April 2022)
    • Faculty Research

    Innovation at Moog Inc.

    By: Brian J. Hall, Ashley V. Whillans, Davis Heniford, Dominika Randle and Caroline Witten
More from the Authors
  • The Developmental Origins and Behavioral Consequences of Attributions for Inequality By: Antonya Marie Gonzalez, Lucia Macchia and Ashley V. Whillans
  • Policy Stringency and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data from 15 Countries By: Lara B. Aknin, Bernardo Andretti, Rafael Goldszmidt, John F. Helliwell, Anna Petherick, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Daisy Fancourt, Elkhonon Goldberg, Sarah P. Jones, Ozge Karadag, Elie Karam, Richard Layard, Shekhar Saxena, Emily Thornton, Ashley Whillans and Jamil Zaki
  • Innovation at Moog Inc. By: Brian J. Hall, Ashley V. Whillans, Davis Heniford, Dominika Randle and Caroline Witten
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