From Burnout to Balance: Embracing a Four-Day Work Week

By Destinee G (she/her), Search Associate at Meso Solutions

I’ve been working and employed since I was a sophomore in high school, and since then I’ve struggled with identifying hobbies or interests outside of working hard or building my career. For almost a decade I defined my personality, value, and humanness through my productivity, work ethic, and servitude to the corporate machines that value production over people. Oftentimes, I’d find myself working seven days straight, barely having time to eat between shifts, trying to catch up on sleep in the parking lot and losing some of my closest connections in life. Needless to say, I was burnt out.

There's a growing movement to shorten the traditional five-day work week and reduce the number of hours people spend at work. This is a powerful proposal. The implementation of a four-day work week allows employees to maintain a full-time schedule in just four days. Meso Solutions implemented this back in 2021. Working four days a week (at 32 hours a week) promotes a new outlook on what we call “work-life balance” for us and for clients. The four-day work week has single handedly changed the trajectory of what work-life balance for me. It has allowed me to learn a lot about myself as an employee, a community servant, and a person trying to navigate and survive a self-imploding, unjust system of overworked people valued based on profitability. It helped reduce a lot of stress and consistent burnout I’ve felt for years, and has led to a happier, more fulfilled life.

According to a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management in 2020, 43% of employers who offered a four-day work week reported that it had a positive impact on employee retention. That means people are generally happier in their jobs, and want to stay, me included! A four-day work week also has the potential to improve accessibility and inclusion in the workplace by providing more flexibility, potentially reducing commute time, and improving work-life balance. These factors should be considered when organizations are developing policies to ensure that all employees have the opportunity to succeed and thrive in the workplace.

One of the other main outcomes of a four-day work week is that it can actually increase what everyone is so concerned about: productivity. According to a study conducted by Microsoft Japan in 2019, employees who worked a four-day work week were 40% more productive than those who worked a traditional five-day work week. A similar study by a New Zealand Trust company, Perpetual Guardian, found that employees who worked a four-day work week reported a 20% improvement in work-life balance and were 45% more engaged at work. Most recently, a pilot program launched in the UK that served over seventy organizations and their trial of a four-day work week has found similar conclusions. 

I can attest to these findings! Fridays have become a self-care and rest day to gear up for the weekend and its activities. Come Sunday, I feel relaxed and mentally prepared to log into work on Monday. Contrary to the Sunday Scaries and Monday blues, I am more eager to start my work and get into my four-day work week groove. 

Adjusting to a four-day work week took a lot of time, especially when we’re talking about shifting mindsets from the grind of fast-paced electoral campaigns that often include working through weekends and nights to provide your deliverables. At first, I had no idea what to do with my Fridays. I had lingering thoughts, triggered by previous career experiences, of, “If I don’t work Friday, my boss will hate me and fire me because I bring no value”. I found out this was a common unlearning process among many of my coworkers, who also came from a background of “work, eat, sleep, and repeat.” I didn’t understand work-life balance. I would prioritize my work over everything. You may not realize that you’re burnt out and in an automated state until it’s too late.

Working long hours with the stressful circumstances of life can take a toll on our physical and mental health. This includes not being able to get some gym time in, speaking to mental health professionals, or simply just taking “me days”. A shortened work week can alleviate some of those negative health effects of long work hours. I have more time to exercise, prepare healthy meals, and engage in other self-care activities such as getting my hair done or doing yoga. To no surprise, having more time to rest and recover can help reduce the risk of burnout and other work-related illnesses.

A four-day work week can also benefit those who are required to go into a workspace. Commutes in many larger cities can be draining; many folks spend half their day commuting or in a car. Imagine a Friday with no traffic on the roads, saving gas and money, and starting your day at 11 a.m. because you got to sleep in. We would probably find a much deeper sense of workplace and life satisfaction and an ability to actually clarify our passions about the work we do, since we’d have more time and comfort to do so. Things suddenly won’t seem so mundane all the time. And workers will spend longer with a company, and be further driven to grow organizations. Flexjobs reported that 84% of employees said that they would consider a job that offered a four-day work week, and 30% of that survey said they would take a pay cut in order to work a four-day work week. People will accept less pay to take more time for themselves – employers need to take better care of their employees!

It’s worth noting that accessibility and inclusion can also be improved through flexible work arrangements like a four-day work week to those who may have caregiving responsibilities, disabilities, or other needs that require accommodations. By providing a more flexible work schedule, employers can and will create more inclusive workplaces where all employees have the opportunity to thrive. Our society is consistently ableist, prioritizing able bodies and exploiting those with disabilities, or perpetuating discriminatory behavior that is illegal and often not explained to disabled employees. Those who have disabilities can request accommodations for working shorter days or weeks, but why can’t employers consider a shorter week as a standard as working toward more equitable accessibility? All of these factors should be considered when organizations are developing policies to ensure that all employees have the opportunity to succeed and thrive in the workplace.

I’ve used my extra day to especially explore old and new hobbies that had been put off due to work, and also to travel and experience new places! I’ve traveled to Mexico, Canada, and New York – all places that I would’ve never thought were possible to explore due to work restrictions. Additionally, I’ve been able to tap into the local music and art scene in Las Vegas, making new connections and friendships with local bands, artists, and activists. My extra day has allowed me to become a part of a local community, and to unpack my workplace insecurities and toxic workplace habits I’ve learned in my past. I can genuinely say that implementing a four-day work week has boosted my confidence and happiness levels, as well as a creative side to me I didn’t know existed!