WBUR: Rebroadcast: Could a four-day work week work in the United States?
“CHAKRABARTI: Interesting. But again, the things that you highlighted earlier, revenue, I presume an increase in revenue is what the companies saw, reduction in absenteeism, reduction and resignation. ... The reduction in absenteeism, resignation or having to train new hires, typically those are big drags on businesses, they don't like all that turnover. And so this had a measurable effect in reducing all of that?
SCHOR: Yes. So that affects the bottom line, because losing employees is expensive and training and attracting new employees is expensive, particularly in the current environment, when a lot of companies are going with unfilled positions. So there are multiple ways in which a four-day week can actually affect the bottom line. So it can affect costs, it can affect productivity. Many people just think productivity, that's the only thing.
But the costs are really key because there are growing costs associated with resignation and inability to attract employees. So those two things, we've been running trials for over a year now. And those two things I think are becoming more important in sort of driving companies to this innovation.”
“CHAKRABARTI: And Jon stresses that although the goal is four day workweeks, the key to making it work is actually just being flexible.
LELAND: [It] isn't a hard and fast rule. It is not something where we've got to shut it down. Everyone has to stop working at 32 hours, four days. It is a norm that we will flex out of. Ultimately, we need to get the work done and we will get the work done. And sometimes that means working five days a week. Sometimes it means working six or seven days a week, if there's a crisis.”