Why a four-day work week doesn't work

Who wouldn't want a four-day work week?

You.

It sounds great: Employees get a longer weekend and, some argue, save money on commuting costs, while companies save money on electricity.

But there are serious drawbacks. Packing 40 hours into four days isn't necessarily an efficient way to work. Many people find that eight hours are tough enough; requiring them to stay for an extra two could cause morale and productivity to decrease. As for saving on the cost of commuting, it likely isn't true.

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Someone should tell that to Chrysler. In an attempt save money on energy costs, the auto manufacturer will recommend to the United Auto Workers Union this week that several plants--including those in Detroit, Trenton, Mich., Kenosha, Wis. and Kokomo, Ind.--make the change.

Its employees are expected to join recent converts to the four-day work week like Utah state employees, the staff of Brevard Community College in Florida and the staff of city hall in Avondale, Ariz. Of course, there are scores of office workers who work longer hours Monday through Thursday in order to have Friday off.

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Some say that this type of schedule is a detriment because the focus on face time is the wrong way to look at work.

"It puts the emphasis on the amount of time employees put in versus the results," says Cali Ressler, co-author of Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It. "We need to throw out old programs like the four-day work week and institute a results-only environment."

Ressler argues that as long as employees get their work done it doesn't matter how long it takes or where they do it.

The cons of cutting back
Manufacturing employees need to be at the plant to get the work done. But demanding employees in other fields be on the job for 10 hours in order to shave off a day creates new sets of problems.

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There's no guarantee that employees will save on commuting costs. In many cases, employees will travel even farther because they'll use the extra day for vacations they wouldn't have taken or run errands that they would otherwise do while at work.

Many working parents will have a hard time getting childcare for those extended hours.

As for Chrysler, they're spinning it in a positive light. "Some people might benefit from having a daycare situation four days instead of five days," says Ed Saenz, a Chrysler spokesman. "Some might prefer that the day start later than earlier, that's why we're going to talk it out with the union."

Work-life balance will be a challenge for employees clocking 10 hours a day. Leaving earlier and staying later means less time with friends and family, not to mention the fatigue that many will feel after a 10-hour workday, particularly one at a manufacturing plant.

Instead of mandating that employees show their face for certain amounts of time, some say employers should encourage their staffs to work more effectively. Lots of time is spent at the office wasting time in useless meetings, surfing the Internet and taking coffee breaks.

"If you do something smartly it might take an hour, instead of 100 hours if it's done poorly," says Mike Marquardt, a professor of human resource development and international affairs at George Washington University.

Marquardt points to Singapore and Hong Kong, two very productive places that approach work differently.

In Hong Kong, people work around the clock. It's not unusual for employees in all industries to work 80-hour weeks that take them late into the evening and on the weekends.

"They're exhausted because they're not working very smartly," says Marquardt. "The way they compete is to work harder and longer, rather than smarter. Hong Kong is relatively competitive but at a high price for workers. They're tired. They're not able to tap their potential. Hong Kong takes twice as long to do what Singapore does in less time."

That's because managers there tend to put a premium on training, learning and working in teams.

"Competitiveness is built on creativity, improvement and new ideas," says Marquardt, "not in producing the same thing more."

Perhaps no industry needs to learn that more than the auto industry.