(NewsReady.com) – A five-day workweek dates back to the 1920s with Henry Ford. In recent years, some workers have started pushing for four-day weeks. That’s now picking up momentum.
A newly released CNBC/Generation Lab poll has found the majority of young workers want a four-day workweek. The pollsters spoke to 1,033 people between the ages of 18 and 34. Eighty-one percent (81%) of the respondents said having three days off would make them more productive. Only 19% told pollsters that they would be less productive.
Four-day workweeks would allow them to work 32 hours instead of the typical 40. Workers would receive their full salaries if they completed their work within 80% of the original deadline.
Some companies have already made the switch. In 2023, Kickstarter officially adopted a four-day workweek after trying it during a pilot phase. Proponents of the move have said they have better employee retention and less burnout, which is a growing trend many employees complain about.
The children’s online retailer Primary made the change in 2020 during the national health crisis. In 2021, one of the company’s executives, Cap Watkins, spoke to The New York Times and said that “people feel recharged on Monday” because they had a three-day weekend and time to reboot.
A 2021 survey of workers found that 83% responded that they would prefer a four-day week. A 2024 poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek found that the number had dropped a bit from the days of the health crisis, but a majority of workers, 63%, still wanted a four-day week. Over 45% said they believed fewer work days would increase productivity. Seventy-four percent (74%) of millennials were supportive of the shift, with 44% being strongly in favor.
Baby Boomers, who are on the cusp of retiring, are the least supportive of the idea, according to the Newsweek poll. Only 50% of them think a shorter week is a good idea.
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