Is the Four-Day Workweek Here to Stay?
The four-day workweek is no longer a fringe idea—it’s gaining traction as a serious workplace strategy. After pandemic-era shifts rewired how companies think about flexibility, firms across the globe began testing condensed schedules to improve employee well-being and operational efficiency. Many are now seeing results that go beyond a simple perk: fewer meetings, sharper focus and higher retention rates.
In the U.K., 92% of companies that piloted the four-day week chose to keep it. In the U.S., organizations like Kickstarter have adopted it permanently after seeing productivity hold steady. And the four-day workweek was recently adopted in Tokyo with worker well-being top of mind.
It’s a shift that resonates with employees—providing more time to rest, reset and return with renewed energy. But is it scalable? Can it work across roles, industries and business models?To unpack these questions, we asked members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank—leaders across talent strategy, workforce design and executive search—for their candid take on what it takes to make this model sustainable.
“The initial excitement around a four-day week can fade if companies don’t back it up with real structural changes.”
A Workplace Rethink in Real Time
The evidence is building: condensed weeks tend to support, rather than hinder, productivity. HR analyst Laci Loew of the Global Curiosity Institute points to early trials in the U.S. and U.K. that saw improvements in employee well-being, top-talent retention and even financial outcomes like revenue and customer service.
Yet she also flags emerging challenges: scheduling complexity, performance monitoring gaps and what she calls the “honeymoon effect”—where the initial excitement fades if companies don’t back up the shift with real structural changes.
To move past the pilot phase, Loew argues that organizations need stronger research on the long-term implications, particularly in areas like workload management, staffing strategies and legal compliance.
“The best implementations treat the four-day week as a way to work smarter, not just less.”
Designing for Impact, Not Just Fewer Hours
One of the most common misconceptions about the four-day week is that it simply condenses the same workload into fewer days. But as Francesca Ranieri, founder of Frank., explains, success hinges on rethinking work—not just shortening the week.
She’s seen companies succeed by holding pay constant while redesigning how work gets done. That includes setting boundaries around availability and treating the shift as a chance to streamline processes, not overload employees. Ranieri notes that advancements in agentic artificial intelligence (AI)—automating tasks like scheduling and reporting—will further support this evolution, enabling humans to focus on strategic, creative contributions instead of admin work.
“The best implementations,” she says, “treat the four-day week as a way to work smarter, not just less.”
“Not every role or organization is built to support a four-day week—and it shouldn’t be treated as a one-size-fits-all solution.”
The Case for Flexibility Over Uniformity
Not every role or organization is built to support a four-day week—and HR leaders caution against treating it as a one-size-fits-all solution. Michael D. Brown, Senior Managing Partner at Global Recruiters of Buckhead, believes a more realistic path lies in customizable work arrangements that match the nature of the work with employee needs and business outcomes.
Brown emphasizes that industries like manufacturing or customer service may struggle with condensed schedules unless leaders rethink coverage, metrics and job design. Instead of trying to force the model into every department, companies should explore hybrid approaches that prioritize impact over time spent.
That sentiment is echoed by Ulrike Hildebrand of Pin-Point Solutions, who notes that compressed workweeks can sometimes introduce stress in unexpected ways—particularly for employees with caregiving responsibilities or physically demanding jobs. In those cases, staggered scheduling or partial implementation may be more practical than a sweeping shift.
“Compressed workweeks can introduce stress in unexpected ways—particularly for employees with caregiving responsibilities or physically demanding jobs.”
Redefining What Productivity Means
For Chandran Fernando, founder of Matrix360, the most important shift isn’t in hours—it’s in mindset. He warns that simply reducing workdays without redefining productivity can lead to overstretched teams and unmet expectations. Instead, organizations need to ground the change in a deeper understanding of what drives meaningful work.
According to research shared by MIT Sloan Management Review, meaningful work has five qualities: it tends to be self-transcendent, poignant, episodic, reflective and personal.
Along those lines, Fernando emphasizes that true productivity should center on task completion, skills development and leadership support—not time spent at a desk. When companies get clarity on outcomes, they’re better positioned to support both performance and well-being.
“True productivity should center on task completion, skills development and leadership support—not time spent at a desk.”
Where to Start with a Shortened Workweek: Practical Guidance for Leaders
APA’s 2023 Work in America Survey found that only 17% of employers offer four-day workweeks. For HR teams exploring a move to fewer workdays, the key is intentional design, not blanket policy. Here are five essential steps Think Tank leaders recommend:
- Redesign workflows before reducing hours. Identify inefficiencies and clarify outcomes. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary work, not cram more into less time.
- Audit roles and functions. Some departments may benefit from full adoption, while others may need flexible or staggered schedules.
- Train managers to lead by outcomes. Shift from time-based oversight to results-driven performance management.
- Use automation where possible. Lean on AI to take over repetitive tasks so people can focus on high-value work.
- Pilot thoughtfully. Run short-term tests with clear metrics and employee feedback loops before scaling organization-wide.
The Four-Day Workweek: A Perk or the Future of Work?
The four-day workweek may not be the future for every organization, but it’s prompting a much-needed reassessment of how we define and measure work. For HR leaders, this is a chance to lead transformation—not just in scheduling but in the culture and systems that make modern work sustainable.
The companies that get it right will likely find themselves ahead of the curve—not just with more engaged employees but with smarter, more focused operations. Whether four-day weeks become the standard or not, one thing is clear: the future of work won’t be built on tradition but on adaptability, trust and purpose.
