As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more ingrained across various sectors, some companies are considering granting employees an extra day off each week.
What once seemed like an unattainable dream has become a reality for some organizations, driven by the radical changes in the workplace brought about by the pandemic.
As new data and insights emerge on the topic, more companies are exploring the adoption of this new model. Interest has particularly increased following the positive results of trials conducted in countries like the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Portugal. These experiments are ongoing, with Germany recently initiating a trial involving 45 companies.
Another key factor is also coming into play. Artificial Intelligence is gaining ground in the workplace, and some experts believe it could accelerate the implementation of the four-day workweek in many companies.
Data collected in late 2023 by Tech.co, a London-based news and events portal, supports this possibility. The company surveyed over 1,000 U.S. managers for its 2024 Workplace Technology Impact Report.
Researchers found that 29% of companies that have adopted a four-day workweek extensively use Artificial Intelligence in their operations, employing tools such as ChatGPT and other programs to optimize workflows. In comparison, only 8% of companies maintaining a five-day workweek use AI in the same way.
Additionally, 93% of companies implementing AI reported being open to the four-day workweek. Among companies not using Artificial Intelligence, less than half are considering adopting an additional day off.
At Driftime, a London-based digital design agency, AI adoption was pivotal in transitioning to a flexible four-day workweek. “By delegating simple tasks to AI tools, we’ve gained precious time that was previously lost in the slower parts of the process,” says one of the company’s founders, Abb-d Taiyo.
Taiyo believes that embracing the shorter workweek makes sense both for employee well-being and business results.
“Instead of a drop in productivity, we’ve observed incredibly high-quality output, combined with excellent returns in employee satisfaction,” he shares. “The health and happiness of our team have a direct correlation with the high standard of work produced.”
Shayne Simpson, director of the UK-based HR company TechNET IT Recruitment, also attributes the success of his company’s four-day workweek to Artificial Intelligence.
The company found that AI tools save their recruitment consultants 21 hours per week, primarily by automating tasks that were previously manual—such as data entry, confirmation emails, résumé screening, and candidate outreach. This reduced the time it takes to fill vacant positions by 10 days.
“This time-saving allows our team to achieve their goals earlier in the week and ensures our consultants get a well-deserved break on Fridays,” Simpson explains.
In addition to boosting productivity and increasing motivation, the reduced workweek has also been instrumental in attracting new talent to the company, according to him.
“Experienced professionals are drawn to the efficiency of our processes, and newcomers are eager to adopt the new tools,” Simpson adds.
AI tools are undoubtedly paving the way for the four-day workweek in some sectors, but technology alone cannot drive the change. Organizational culture is also essential, according to Na Fu, a professor of human resource management at Trinity Business School in Ireland.
“Being open to innovative work structures, conducting experiments, and most importantly, fostering a culture based on high levels of trust are crucial for successfully adopting the four-day workweek,” she advises.
Fu also emphasizes that as digital transformation with AI advances, employees must be willing to upskill themselves.
“Rather than becoming mere caretakers or servers of machines, human professionals need to develop new techniques that can enhance, complement, and direct AI, achieving better results,” she advises.
Some sectors will benefit more from AI than others, particularly those capable of using the tools for tasks involving software development, content creation, marketing, and legal services, according to Fu.
In most cases, Artificial Intelligence still has a long way to go before it can substantially reduce human work hours.
However, for AI integration in company workflows to truly lead to a four-day workweek, executives must be willing to embrace this idea. Managers’ openness to adopting this model will vary depending on the overall purpose and values of each organization, Fu notes.
Some companies, for instance, might use AI to handle simple tasks, not necessarily to grant employees an additional day off but to allow them to take on new projects during their “free” time.
Despite some reservations, more managers are starting to see the reduced workweek as an inevitable future driven by technology—and this includes executives from some of the world’s most profitable companies.
In October 2023, for example, JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon told Bloomberg TV that “his children will probably live to 100 years and work three and a half days a week.”
An extra day off provides more time for rest, leisure, personal activities, and family interaction, contributing to better quality of life and reducing work-related stress. This allows employees to return more refreshed and productive during workdays, making better use of their time and maintaining a higher level of focus and efficiency.
For companies, reducing a workday can result in cost savings on energy, meals, transportation, and other operational resources. Fewer workdays mean fewer commutes and less resource consumption, potentially reducing the environmental impact of business activities.
However, it’s important to note that implementing a four-day workweek requires careful consideration of each company’s specific needs and characteristics, as well as proper planning to ensure a successful transition. Now, it remains to be seen how this vision will materialize.
