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Over breakfast Monday morning, my boyfriend and I began discussing the benefits of a 4-day work week. We had both enjoyed our long (but seemingly short) Labor Day weekend and were toying with the idea of never having to work a Monday again.
It is hard to find companies in the United States that allow their employees a 4-day work week, despite possible benefits such as higher productivity and better morale. It was decided then that we might have better luck by moving to Europe.
In the Netherlands, citizens work 29 hours a week and in Norway and Denmark, citizens average 33 hours a week. The European Union also requires workers to have uninterrupted rest periods of 11 consecutive hours per day with one 24-hour rest per week.
Although our motives behind a 4-day work week included more time to spend together, more time to relax and more time away from work, there seems to be financial benefits to a 4-day work week as well.
With businesses closed an extra day a week, money could be saved. Employees would be saving money on gas and child care, just to name a few. Business owners would be saving money on energy costs by closing shop for a day.
The environment might even see a benefit from a 4-day work week by cutting out a day of employee commutes and every day business operations of large manufacturing companies. Even if only for one day a week, we could see the amount of harmful carbon emissions decline.
It's easy for me to say that I would enjoy a 4-day work week. Would you?