Embracing the Four-Day Workweek with Arran Stewart
Arran Stewart is the Co-Founder and CVO of blockchain-powered recruitment platform Job.com. He’s spent over a decade working to disrupt the recruitment industry with innovative, first-of-its-kind technology. He’s got plenty of expertise in hiring, recruitment, technology, and macro job market trends.
One of those trends he’s explored more recently? The four-day workweek. It’s taken off in countries like Iceland, and it’s got people buzzing about the possibilities. With remote and hybrid workplaces becoming commonplace over the past year and a half, there’s a lot that goes into hiring, benefits, and workplace culture.
Arran spoke with Good People, Cool Things about how we might be able to implement a four-day workweek in the U.S. (and other countries), why blockchain is a valuable part of the recruitment industry, and what companies should consider in the current job market.
Why has the four-day workweek been a success in places like Iceland?
Iceland implemented the four-day workweek across 1% of the working population in the country. Working a four-day week is only practical for some jobs, but not universally for all. If you work in roles in sales, marketing, or technology, you would be able to shorten the workweek, while still providing the same level of productivity. Conversely, if your job is to clean hotel rooms five days a week, it’s impossible to fit those five days’ worth of work into four days—hotels would still need someone to clean rooms on the fifth day.
Iceland also did two important things that increased the study’s chance of success. First, they studied both jobs and sectors that were still able to achieve productive success, such as the ones mentioned previously. Second, they actually didn't lose an entire workday's hours from the week. If a full working week consists of 40 hours, then a four-day workweek would be 32 hours. However, the Iceland study saw the participants working 35 to 36 hours per week, meaning the participants were working more hours per day in order to make up for their productivity impact.
What's a hidden benefit to the four-day workweek?
Worker fatigue, burnout, and unhappiness are all negative byproducts of working too much. Working fewer hours but earning the same amount of money is inevitably going to make you happier, which in turn will typically make you more motivated, and therefore more productive. Being more productive naturally means you’ll do more work in a shorter amount of time, leading to a continuous cycle of happy workers. While they may not produce more than a five-day-a-week worker, there is an argument to say they will remain motivated and retained by the company longer, since they’re happy.
How could we implement a program like this in the U.S.?
The four-day workweek could never be fully implemented across all sectors, as previously mentioned. And while there are some job roles that can support a four-day working week, there are many others that would not be able to. If anything, the four-day workweek could be looked at as a benefit that employers offer their staff—a tool for both attraction and retention.
What other considerations should companies have in the current hiring market?
It's been a very challenging 18 months for everyone and now, post-pandemic, companies that could consider a four-day workweek should. It would help prevent burnout while increasing motivation and happiness. All things that the workforce would be grateful for.
How does having a blockchain-powered recruitment platform impact job seekers/employers?
Job.com is using technology to remove friction from the recruitment process, from finding the best matching candidate and using technologies like blockchain to verify their background and credentials. Job.com is focused on placing the best talent in the shortest amount of time.
What's next for you?
Job.com is acquiring staffing agencies to layer in our technology and continue to improve the hiring process for candidates. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to provide for both themselves and their family. Our mission is to make sure that anyone who is looking for a job can find one and streamline that process for them—and the companies looking to hire them—as much as possible.