Source: Fortune.com
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the adoption of hybrid work, and now the Iran War might bring about a four-day workweek. Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Pakistan have already implemented a four-day workweek to conserve fuel, and experts believe this could become a permanent change globally. The shift could have significant consequences for workers who cannot take their jobs home, such as drivers, baristas, and pet sitters.
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The announcement sounds familiar. The four-day workweek, initially implemented as an emergency measure, could become a permanent change. Experts say that once workers get a taste of a shorter week, it’s hard to go back to the old one. The burden of proof flips, and employers must justify the fifth day rather than the other way around.
The convergence of two separate conversations – governments weighing in on public policy and major employers adopting the four-day workweek – makes this moment historically distinct. The pressure for more flexible ways of working is converging from every direction at once.
The four-day workweek could widen disparities between skilled and low-skilled workers, and fracture workplaces from the inside out. Rather than levelling the playing field, a four-day rollout could make physically demanding professions even less attractive, harder to staff, and more dangerous.
Author: Evan Null
