SUBRAMANIAN: US should consider adopting 4-day workweek
Column: Whadda I Know
The standard five-day workweek has become synonymous with work culture in the U.S. From Monday to Friday, people spend a third of their days working. This phenomenon has left the office and sped into larger American culture — from the "I Hate Monday" mugs to many songs written about the tradition.
But what is truly the best for Americans? With Rutgers churning out many of its students to enter the workforce or seek higher education, many of these students are now entering that Monday-to-Friday slog. Simply put, switching from the standard five-day workweek to a four-day workweek will be better for the future.
The clearest benefit of a four-day workweek is the reduction of burnout. It is no surprise that Americans are currently an overworked populace. Americans left 768 million days of vacation days unused in 2018, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
In 2021, the average American worker worked a total of 1,791 hours, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This is the seventh highest in the OECD and well above the average OECD annual work hours of 1,716. Though, this average is probably skewed by countries like Mexico and Costa Rica where their average workers work more than 2,000 hours each year.
What is the consequence of overworking? Health-wise, this is becoming a significant problem, especially because having longer working hours is correlated with risk increases for strokes, heart disease, cancer and type two diabetes. Longer working hours are not just bad for our physical health, but also our mental health.
A 2012 paper from the PLOS One research journal found that longer working hours predispose workers to major depressive episodes. This has led to an overall lower job satisfaction rate in the U.S. and has fueled the quiet quitting movement in Generation Z and millennials.
The negative impacts on our health are also matched with lower productivity. A 2014 paper from the Institute for the Study of Labor found that "employees at work for a long time may experience fatigue or stress that not only reduces his or her productivity but also increases the probability of errors, accidents and sickness that impose costs on the employer." Simply put, from an economic and health point of view, the current five-day workweek is harmful and needs to be overhauled.
By switching to a four-day workweek, people would be able to have more time to themselves. Having more time away from work means that employees would be able to spend more time on what gives them the most utility. Certain companies that have implemented this change report that workers return to the office feeling rejuvenated and more productive.
Some people who oppose the four-day workweek argue that it would lead to lower productivity since workers will not spend the same amount of time working. But, a pilot program in the U.K. found that productivity remained the same when companies switched from a five-day workweek to a four-day workweek. In fact, a trial program in Sweden found that some workers actually got more work done within those four days.
These results fall in line with economic theory. The benefit of doing an activity decreases the times it is done after an optimal amount of it is completed, according to the Law of Diminishing Returns. As demonstrated by the long working hours and lower productivity in the current five-day workweek, this rule can apply. By reducing work time, it is more likely that the optimal amount of work hours will be reached leading to the greatest economic efficiency.
Having a four-day workweek will not only lead to a more efficient economy but a more equitable workplace. The cost of child care constitutes 10 percent of a married family’s income and 35 percent of a single parent’s income, according to Child Care Aware America. This means it might be better to have one working parent rather than two working parents in two-parent families.
Since western societal expectations often place the burden of child-rearing on women, this means that women are often excluded from the workplace. In the U.K., approximately 2 million women are unemployed due to childcare responsibilities.
By having a four-day workweek, mothers will be able to enter the workforce because they will have fewer working hours. This will lead to a much more manageable balance between work and childcare, helping to reduce costs. The benefits of this balance for poorer families will be that they will have a better chance to escape poverty by having dual-income households and lower childcare costs.
The current status quo is failing. Workers are suffering from more adverse health effects, declining productivity and greater rates of burnout. Simplified, the average U.S. worker is overworked. Switching to a four-day workweek will lead to greater work satisfaction, increased productivity and a more equitable workplace.
Recognizing the status quo as a policy decision and not the natural order of the world is critical in getting changes that will benefit workers. As Rutgers students enter the workforce, future employees must be able to work in a healthy environment.
But hey, whadda I know?
Kiran Subramanian is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in economics and political science. His column, "Whadda I Know," runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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