By Dan Pontefract
The four-day workweek isn’t a shiny new toy—it’s a proven model. I believe it’s here to stay, despite certain CEOs pulling out all the stops to drag employees back to the office and even being reticent to the number four.
Whether it’s a pure four-day workweek or a hybrid approach, as I’ve argued before in this column, the future of work demands greater flexibility and trust.
What really matters is outcomes, not how long your office chair gets warmed. Perhaps this is where the four-day workweek can help.
Andrew Barnes, the architect behind the global four-day week movement, knows this better than anyone. His bold experiment at Perpetual Guardian in New Zealand redefined how we think about productivity. The company ran a three-month pilot to see whether employees could maintain the same productivity in four days as in five. The results? Employee engagement soared, sick days halved, and retention improved. It quickly became permanent.
What drove this change?
Barnes says, “It’s about creating a better work-life balance by improving productivity.” By empowering team members to manage their own time more effectively, organisations can unlock higher performance levels and improve customer satisfaction. Barnes’ data backs this up: companies across various industries have shown marked improvements in output and well-being.
Supporting Barnes’ approach, a 2021 study by Autonomy found that employees working a four-day week were 20% more productive while reporting higher levels of well-being. Similarly, Microsoft Japan’s 2019 trial showcased a 40% boost in productivity, highlighting how fewer hours can still lead to exceptional results.
Barnes acknowledges this resistance, explaining that “because we don’t measure productivity properly, we often default to time as a surrogate.” However, this is where leadership comes into play. Shifting to a model that measures outputs over hours requires a fundamental change in evaluating performance.
One of the key obstacles, Barnes observes, is that senior leaders are often too risk-averse to experiment with new ways of working.
“If you’re a CEO of a public company, going to your board and saying, ‘We’re going to reduce the working week,’ is a hell of a step,” he notes. In his view, ownership matters—leaders who hold equity are more likely to take bold steps, understanding that the long-term gains in productivity and culture far outweigh the risks.
In fact, a Randstad study found a strong link between employee happiness and company performance as a result of the four-day workweek.
Barnes echoes this, emphasising that “healthier, happier, more engaged staff are more productive, more creative, and give a better customer experience.” The four-day week, therefore, becomes not just a workplace policy but a shift toward greater employee empowerment and well-being.
The Global Ripple Effect
Barnes’ model has been replicated worldwide, delivering impressive results.
His data from Perpetual Guardian mirrors findings from other organizations that have tried reducing work hours without sacrificing output. For instance, South Cambridgeshire District Council in the UK implemented a four-day week, and despite initial opposition, 15 out of 17 key performance indicators improved.
However, Barnes notes that the four-day workweek isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. “In some sectors, like public services, you might need a journey toward proper productivity measurement before you can implement it,” he explains.
In contrast, private companies might find the transition smoother as they typically have more explicit productivity and revenue metrics.
Rethinking Work
As leaders continue to contemplate a world with remote, hybrid, and four-day workweeks, Barnes’ counsel provides a compelling way forward. The pandemic taught us to rethink where, when, and how we work. As Barnes aptly puts it, “The model we’ve used for the last 100 years doesn’t make sense in the digital age”.
With more companies adopting hybrid work models, the four-day week could be the next logical step. After all, as Barnes succinctly asks, “If you can deliver the same output in less time, why wouldn’t you?”.
The data speaks for itself: healthier, happier employees are more productive.
As leaders, we have an opportunity—and an obligation—to rethink outdated structures that no longer serve us. As a leader, if you are bold enough to embrace change, the benefits will speak for themselves.
Watch the full interview with Andrew Barnes and Dan Pontefract on the Leadership NOW program below, or listen to it on your favourite podcast.
Dan Pontefract is a leadership strategist and award-winning author with over two decades of experience in enhancing organisational performance and culture.
This article first appeared on the Forbes website.