Should Utah Adopt The Four-Day Work Week?

Perhaps it's because it's nearing the start of the school year for many, but the idea of a four-day work or school week has been buzzing around the internet.  

The idea gained massive traction in 2022 during the end of the pandemic after work had to be more flexible and work from home and hybrid work became necessary. Schools have considered changing their schedules across the country and several schools in Utah have adopted it.  

So, what would the benefit be? 

Well, after several countries did trial runs of the four-day work week in 2022, results showed that productivity, work/life balance, and mental and physical health improved.  

The somewhat downside of this schedule is that it requires 10-hour workdays, and some businesses would have trouble adopting this schedule. It only works for companies that can rearrange their schedule. Small businesses might struggle with this. 

A problem with the current five-day week schedule is that it was standardized in a time when people had someone at home doing the cleaning, cooking and other aspects of home life.  

That isn’t always the lifestyle now and for single people it can be exhausting to do it all after a long day of work.  

So, Utah has already adopted it in school, but the four-day work week would benefit a lot of people. I would love to see more Utah companies consider this for the health of their employees and overall productivity.  

Giving an extra day for home life, recouperation and just more “free time” sounds fantastic and in this fast-paced world, necessary.