How to Negotiate a 4 Day Work Week in 2 Steps

Written by WIN Staff, Lauren Nish.

You’ve heard the rumors. The stories of companies switching from a 40 hour, 5 day week to a 32 hour 4 day work week with no cut to employees’ wages. 

Well, with 4 day work week study results coming out from countries like the UK, US and Ireland, we’re seeing that the 4 day work week is beloved by (almost) all. Spain is even running a 3 year, 50 million Euro trial on the 4 day work week-that’s how much everyone wants a 3 day weekend. Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland are all testing this new way of work, too.   

But, back to the key question: how can you make it a reality for you? 

Start by negotiating. 

Don’t forget that both employees and employers responded favorably to 4 day work weeks, meaning that these shortened weeks are a WIN-WIN for employers and employees alike. Why is this important? A basic tenet of negotiation: negotiations tend to be successful when both parties benefit. 

So, let’s break down how and what to ask to get a 4 day work week.

Truth be told, most of the benefits are for employees; less stress and burnout, anxiety and sleep problems, and more positivity, work-life balance.  So, while you can explain that people prefer, are happier, and less stressed with an extra day to themselves, you might find it more effective to start by expressing the benefits to your employer: 

Step 1: 

Here’s what you’ll need to explain the research has found:

• No decrease in productivity: the results speak for themselves-productivity stayed the same or improved! Yes you heard that right, revenues and productivity were shown to increase with 4 day work week

• 63% of companies found it easier to attract and retain employees with a 4 day work week. High employee turnover is a huge cost for companies; estimated to be up to 2x the cost of the exiting employee’s salary. 

• Better health, time management, and less burnout for employees

• Plus, this means your boss can also have a 4 day work week; who doesn’t want that? Apparently 0.4% of employees-but outliers be outlying. 

• Lastly, drop some names. These companies are testing or have already switched to a 4 day work week:

• Panasonic

• thredUP

• Amazon

• Microsoft

• Shopify

• Toshiba

Step 2:

Next, explain how you can achieve this. You can’t walk in and ask for this without a plan, ladies! 

Suggestions for how to clear out those extra 8 hours? According to the study, people did this by:

• Get rid of unnecessary meetings and making sure only the essential people need to attend 

• Take people off projects they do not need to be on

• Edit email etiquette- only including those that need to be included

• Quite/heads down time to exclusively work or time blocking to ensure the work is still getting done

Going in with a clear plan of why you need one, how you can achieve one, and the benefits your organization/boss/team can reap is how this negotiation can succeed. 

Interested in learning more negotiation skills? Join our virtual summit April 19th and learn to be a better negotiator, communicator, leader, and network all from the comfort of your own home.