WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Before the COVID-19 pandemic, some countries were already experimenting with a four-day work week. Now after the pandemic, it seems there is more momentum for it as workers focus more on personal time away from the job.
"This idea of reduced work weeks is gaining traction in the United States," Michael Harari, at Florida Atlantic University's College of Business, said Thursday.
Low unemployment, Harari said, is creating a shortage of qualified workers in many fields and leading employers to try and keep those workers they have.
"Especially after the change to work schedules that occurred during the pandemic, many employees getting a taste for, perhaps, truncated work weeks and seeing value in it," Harari said. "I just don't see how an organization can remain competitive in attracting and retaining top echelon talent without at least exploring the viability of these type of ideas."
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Change, however, can be slow and, so far, only a handful of countries are moving towards shorter work weeks.
But other things, like working from home and even shorter work days, stand a better chance to be more widely offered in the near future.
"Employers do need to respond to the labor market they're working with," Harari said. "So if the bulk of the labor market is demanding reduced work weeks, then that will happen."