Societal Benefits

Studies report close to two-thirds of workers have experienced burnout in the past year and almost 90% have experienced declining satisfaction in their work life. These dynamics are felt more acutely amongst low- and middle-wage workers, essential workers, workers of color, female workers, and young workers. These disproportionate effects do not merely have individual consequences but have systemic ramifications. Unaddressed burnout reinforces pre-existing disparities between workers of different races, genders, and classes.

Additionally, the often-grueling nature of low-wage work and essential work disincentivizes people from pursuing the critical work that forms the backbone of our economy. Lastly, workplace stress is estimated to cost the US economy an average of $300 billion per year. The four-day workweek pilot studies have demonstrated that it results in workers experiencing better mental health, better physical health, increased time for family and connection, and increased time to develop new skills.

In the 1930s, economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that by 2030, automation and productivity increases would result in Americans working only 15 hours per week. While we have seen a significant increase in productivity due to automation, workers have not captured the gains of technological progress and now work more than they did even fifty years ago.

With the fast rise in AI technology, we have an opportunity to ensure workers capture the gains of technological progress. AI’s rapid improvements have justifiably stoked fears that it could result in profound job-loss. With the right set of policies however, increased productivity from artificial intelligence need not be zero-sum. With a shortened workweek, rather than artificial intelligence causing mass unemployment, economists have noted that it could instead benefit society by resulting in work time reduction.

Our culture of overwork significantly contributes to gender inequality in the workforce because women take on a disproportionate amount of care-giving responsibilities outside the workplace. As more and more women have entered the workforce in the last six decades, we have not sought to adjust our workplace structures to adjust to that fact, but have instead placed a “double burden” on those who are caregivers. In regards to equitable gender representation in management positions, Harvard Economists have pinpointed that the primary reason why women remain so dramatically unrepresented was “a general culture of overwork that hurt both men and women and locked gender inequality in place.”

The four-day week is not simply about giving women more time for unpaid domestic labor but about ensuring that domestic labor is distributed equitably: four-day week trials have shown that in heterosexual relationships, a four-day workweek also resulted in men contributing more to domestic tasks.

According to the E.P.A., in 2020, the transportation sector accounted for about 27 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Fewer working days contributing to the fight against climate change by reducing up to 20% the energy needed for electricity generation and commuting. Additionally, giving Americans more time back to their personal lives enables people to have more time to make sustainable life choices.

In order for a democracy and civil society to be vibrant, people need time. Civic participation requires individuals to dedicate their non-work hours towards community engagement, a task that is increasingly difficult as work seeps more and more into people’s lives.