The promise of a four-day week? A critical appraisal of a management-led initiative

Abstract

PurposeThis article critically investigates a management-led experiment to institute a four-day work week with stated intentions of improving productivity and worker wellbeing. The article analyses the framing and implementation of the reduced work hours (RWH) trial, the responses of employees and the outcomes and implications of the trial. It raises concerns regarding the managerial appropriation of employee aspirations for more autonomy over time and improved work life.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted a qualitative case study of a medium-sized company operating in the financial services sector in New Zealand. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 employees.FindingsOur study finds that the promise of a four-day week attracted employee favour and individualised benefits. However, entrenched managerialist practices of performance measurement, monitoring and productivity pressures were intensified. Pro-social and collective interests evident in labour-led campaigns were absent. We urge greater critical scrutiny into seemingly advantageous “business case” initiatives for reduced work hours.Originality/valueLittle is known about what happens to concern for social and employee interests entailed in reduced working hours initiatives when a management-led initiative is implemented. Indeed, the majority of research focuses on the macro-level rather than interrogating the “black box” of firms. Our inquiry contributes to these debates by asking, how does a management-led RWH initiative affect employees?

Reducing weekly working hours: Temporal strategies and changes in the organization and experiences of work-Results from a qualitative study of a 30-hour workweek experiment

“…The “time work” employees did confirms their agency in this experiment (Moen et al, 2013). In accordance with Delaney and Casey’s research (2021), we also found that some employees experienced less “fun” interaction moments with colleagues due to strict focus. Boundary work tactics (Cockman and Pyke, 2020) were modified by some employees, being stricter on segmenting work from non-work, especially on their time off when other colleagues might be at work.…”

“…Consciously thinking about the work tasks was also a central theme in his interviews with office workers (Van Veen, 2021: 17–21). Similarly, the office workers in Helen Delaney and Catherine Casey’s (2021) study of the 4-day workweek in a financial service company in New Zealand tried optimizing their work habits and practices by, among other things, interacting less with colleagues and having less breaks. Many experienced a feeling of urgency and speeding up processes.…”

“…This caused higher stress levels for some. No other organizational changes were implemented and a shorter workweek only happened if productivity did not drop, which put most pressure on individual employees and teams (Delaney and Casey, 2021: 187).…”

Working time reduction: Employers’ perspectives and eco-social implications – ten cases from Hungary

“…In large companies, the decisions are usually more formalised (Mullens and Glorieux, 2023), top-down, and significant efforts are made to measure performance after the introduction of WTR schemes. Even though most large companies in our sample opted for low-risk WTRs, which essentially streamline and restructure work instead of meaningfully reducing workloads (Delaney and Casey, 2021), they run long trials and use lengthy introduction phases as they seek to strike a balance between offering attractive conditions to workers and preserving profit rates. The profit expectations of shareholders of publicly traded companies likely pose a barrier to more radical WTRs unless the company is able to grow significantly, highlighting the role of ownership structures.…”

A Four‐Day Working Week: its Role in a Politics of Work

“…Recent research, however, highlights concerns with the way that the company sought to introduce a four-day working week and casts doubt on its benefits as a basis for broader reform. 14 Managers took the lead in making the change-unions were absent and workers were not fully involved in the decision-making process. Crucially, the chief stated goal of a four-day working week was to increase productivity.…”