The 3-Day Workweek: Pipe Dream or the Definitive Future of Productivity?

Imagine waking up peacefully on a Thursday morning without the worry of rushing to the office or meeting a tight deadline. For most of us members of the working class, this sounds far too good to be true. But what if this could be the new industry norm?

In our dynamic modern business ecosystem, where productivity, creativity, and employee satisfaction have become integral to an organization’s success, the traditional 5-day workweek is being challenged by more worker-friendly structures. This has given rise to a now fairly popularized 4-day workweek. To many, reducing the number of working days may seem counterintuitive to overall productivity. However, studies across the working world suggest otherwise.

A joint project by Autonomy and the Association for Sustainability and Democracy (Alda) in Iceland has shown that when work hours were reduced from 40 to 35-36 for more than 2,500 staff, the workers enjoyed greater well-being and work-life balance whilst maintaining existing standards of performance and productivity. Similarly, Microsoft Japan reported a whopping 40% boost in productivity after implementing a 4-day workweek. What’s more, a recent study by LiveCareer showed that all generations expected flexibility in working options, with 76% of Millennials, 69% of Gen Z, and 64% of Gen X harboring such expectations.

And now, taking the idea of providing the ultimate flexibility to employees even further, the 3-day workweek structure has started gaining traction. But would such a short workweek truly be beneficial to the employee or the organization? Could efficiency levels be maintained or even enhanced? Here, we dive into the complexities of our modern work environments and analyze if the 3-day workweek is merely a pipe dream or, in fact, the future of productivity. 

How Does a 3-Day Workweek Look?

Simply put, a 3-day workweek is a working schedule in which an employee is on active duty for only three days in a week, remaining free for the rest. The working days may be consecutive or spread out across the week depending on personal agreements and employee arrangements. However, the flexibility of working only three days a week generally also comes with longer working days. To fit in the work that an employee would typically finish in the span of five days within just three, employees may spend upwards of 10 hours at work on a single day.      

Why Your Company Should Opt for the 3-Day Workweek Model

Working only three days a week can result in a plethora of interesting benefits, and not just for the employee and the employer. In fact, a shorter working week can deliver benefits to the community and even the entire country’s economy. Shorter workweeks can provide major advantages:

Less Burnout and Higher Employee Retention: In our modern work environments, burnout is one of the most prominent reasons for employees voluntarily leaving their jobs. This leads to poor employee retention and hampers business growth and success. In this scenario, a shorter workweek can be highly advantageous. According to a study by the Harvard Business School, employees who enjoyed a 4-day workweek experienced reduced stress levels and increased job satisfaction. This goes to show that shorter workweeks, if managed appropriately, can deliver exception results that benefit the employee and the organization.

Increased Productivity: By giving employees four days off to focus on their personal lives and desires, businesses can ensure that employees stay focused throughout their time at work. So instead of having distracted employees who constantly switch off during working hours, employers can get more dedicated efforts from their employees during their three working days. This could lead to greater productivity overall and better business outcomes.

Better for the Environment: The 3-day workweek schedule can also be beneficial for the environment. With employees only having to travel three days a week to the office, individuals can massively reduce commuting time and cost. What’s more, with less driving overall, air pollution from motor vehicles can also be massively reduced.

Work-Life Balance and Community Engagement: Shorter workweeks can help employees achieve much better work-life balance, giving them the time to explore hobbies, develop skills, and spend time with friends and family. With more free days, people can also become more active members of the community, helping build stronger bonds and a sense of belonging. What’s more, shorter work weeks can even go as far as helping boost a country’s economy. That’s precisely why Japan is opting for a shorter workweek, encouraging citizens to go out and spend with hopes of overcoming a sluggish national economy.

The 3-Day Workweek in Action

Across the global business ecosystem, the 3-day workweek is still a rarity, with few businesses actually embracing it. However, there are a few notable examples that have garnered significant attention. One particular example is of a Miami Chick-fil-A owner, Justin Lindsey. Recognizing that employee burnout was a significant issue in his kitchen, Lindsey opted to transition into a 3-day workweek with the catch that the days would be 13-14 hours. After this announcement, even in the midst of labor shortages in the food service industry, he received 429 job applications in just a single week. Also, by giving staff the freedom to trade shifts with coworkers and save their days off to take even longer breaks, work-life balance was greatly improved. This experiment proved to be a massive hit, with Lindsey experiencing 100% employee retention at the manager level.

Similarly, another prominent success story of a 3-day workweek comes from GoodLife Innovations. GoodLife has implemented a unique 3-day schedule called the Front/Back Half Workweek, with the Front shift working Sunday plus 2 weekdays and the Back shift working Saturday plus 2 weekdays. By giving Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) the ability to take more time off for their well-being and achieve greater flexibility, GoodLife has achieved prominent results with their 3-day workweek model. 

The Role of Technology in Assisting Shorter Workweeks

Despite the few success stories of 3-day workweeks, the idea has still yet to gain acceptance on a larger scale. So the question still beckons: is this ultra-short working model possible across different large-scale organizations? With the right technological backbone, Bill Gates certainly thinks so.  

On a recent podcast with Trevor Noah, Bill Gates said he supported the idea of a 3-day workweek and thinks it is possible. But to make this a reality, employees need to leverage the wonder that is AI. Generative AI (GenAI) in particular can be a serious game changer, ushering in an unprecedented wave of efficiency across industries. By effectively handling mundane tasks such as emails, communications, research, and data analysis, GenAI can ensure incredible efficiency, helping employees finish a week’s worth of tasks at a fraction of the original time.

The numbers paint a similar picture. According to a research paper titled “Generative AI at Work,” 81% of current GenAI users believe the technology has improved their productivity, with 43% going as far as saying GenAI significantly improved it. Now, as this technological marvel develops even further, constantly growing in capabilities, the adoption of an ultra-short workweek feels closer than ever. Speaking on this topic, Iwo Szapar, Co-founder & Head of Remote, Remote-first.Institute, said, “The integration of AI technologies could propel us toward a 3-day workweek—or even less. As AI takes over routine tasks, the emphasis shifts toward strategic, meaningful work, potentially condensing the effective workweek even further.”

3-Day vs. 4-Day vs. 4 Hours a Day Workweek: What Do Workers Prefer?

According to reports and industry success stories, shorter workweeks can definitely yield substantial benefits. But when it comes to finding the ideal schedule that promotes both employee well-being and productivity, how short is too short? Though the 3-day workweek sounds like a dreamy proposition and modern technologies support its adoption, it isn’t free from potential drawbacks. By lowering the number of working days, the average time an employee spends working each day would need to increase. That means a typical 9 to 5 could change into an 8 to 7 or even longer. 

This in turn could lead to several new concerns. For example, working into the later hours of the day may result in safety concerns and transportation issues for employees working from in-person offices. Similarly, racking up too many hours in a single day could also lead to higher burnout and loss in productivity, going against the fundamental advantages of shorter workweeks. According to Bo Bennett, PhD, a social scientist and business consultant, “Although many workers will be drawn to this kind of arrangement out of pure novelty, only some will do well with a 13–14 hour shift. The individual will need to be both physically and cognitively capable of pulling it off long-term.”

Compared to the 3-day workweek, the 4-day schedule stands as the more tried and tested model, with numerous organizations across the globe already utilizing it to great success. However, another alternative to the 3-day or 4-day workweek could also be the 4-hours a day, 5-days a week schedule. According to surveys, the average employee is only productive for roughly three hours a day, with factors such as checking social media, reading news websites, making hot drinks, and taking smoke breaks serving as some of the major distractors. So, instead of spending eight full hours at the office just watching time go by, a 4-hour a day schedule packed with actual meaningful work could be incredibly beneficial. 

But with that being said, this model too has its disadvantages. Even if it is for just four hours, employees still need to commute to work, resulting in a higher amount of time on the road and subsequent costs. Similarly, having to commit a certain portion of the day to work would make it difficult for employees to pursue activities that take up a number of consecutive days, such as traveling or even just visiting their friends or family members in a different city. 

The Verdict: Is the 3-Day Workweek Possible?

The idea of a 3-day workweek certainly has its allure, and early experiments suggest it can yield benefits for productivity, employee satisfaction, and even environmental impact. By offering employees greater flexibility and work-life balance, a shorter work schedule could significantly reduce burnouts and boost employee retention. Yet, at the end of the day, the ideal work schedule depends on several factors, ranging from the demands of a particular industry to job roles and even individual requirements. 

Today, as advancements in AI lessen the burden of work on employees and societal values around work-life balance gradually shift, the 3-day workweek doesn’t feel like an absurdity. For organizations that wish to experiment with new strategies for higher productivity, this model could definitely be worth exploring. Though it may not serve as a universal solution, the 3-day workweek serves as an indication of our evolving world of work, signifying a global shift in the desire for flexibility and freedom along with business outcomes. So, is the 3-day workweek really just a pipe dream? No, it is now a unique possibility that demands exploration.