The concept of a four-day working week has been presented to the public some time ago, therefore, one could take it for granted that the answer to the question: “How long would you like to work?” will be obvious. However, as it turns out, the opinions of active workers on this particular subject seems to be very diverse and not everyone is thrilled with this vision of new reality.

Are employees opposed?

In order to find out what the public’s opinions are, Manpower conducted a survey, according to which as many as 65% of active employees support the introduction of a four-day working week, while 16% of respondents are against this decision.

The main reason for the negative results of the survey is the society’s fear that with the shortening of working days, remuneration for work will also be reduced. Moreover, there is a risk that employees will be overloaded with duties that will not be regularly distributed throughout the week as it was before. This might result not only in overwork and reduced efficiency at work, but also in the need to stay late to complete all tasks on time. Problem with chronic stress occurring as a result of the multitude of responsibilities in the workplace is a long-standing issue that has already appeared in the current work mode. Changing it could only increase the number of cases of people experiencing stress or burnout.

Another aspect is the extension of working hours over four working days. Employees are afraid that longer time spent at work will significantly impact their free time commitments and overall well-being. Every single day, everyone has specific obligations after work, for some it is picking up children from school, participating in extracurricular activities or pursuing a hobby. The fact is that for the current generation of young employees, the balance between personal and professional life is one of the most valued aspects ​​they are looking for.

During the survey, a fear of implementation chaos that could occur in companies that decided to introduce changes was also noted. Not every company would be able to immediately switch to a four-day working week, the changes would involve organizational problems, adapting company processes to the new reality and adapting work by employees. However, there are industries that require the constant presence of employees, such as the medical, manufacturing and logistics industries. Introducing changes in the way of working in these sectors will have a real impact on the functioning not only of the employees of these companies, but also of potential customers.

The introduction of a four-day working week is still at the testing stage by some companies and is not yet mandatory for everyone. Surveys conducted during this stage allow one to find out what the mood among employees is and to react early enough to potential concerns related to this issue.