Debate: is a 4-day workweek actually productive or just a way to dodge accountability?

My manager in Portland pitched a 10-hour day, 4-day schedule last week saying it boosts morale, but I've seen three coworkers already using Monday off as a free day to slack on Friday prep - has anyone else's team actually made this work without dropping the ball?

2 comments

2 Comments

willowc6017d ago

Friend of mine in Seattle had their marketing team switch to four 10s. First month, three people "forgot" to forward important client emails because Friday prep fell apart. Their project manager started requiring a 30 minute Friday morning check-in before everyone left. That got things back on track, but then people complained the check-in ate into their "short day." They ended up scrapping the whole thing after a quarter when deadlines slipped twice. Some teams can pull it off, but it takes way more structure than most managers expect.

valthomas17d ago

Does your manager actually track what gets done, or is he just trusting people to figure it out? I've seen four-day weeks work great when the team actually cares about accountability, but if people are already treating Monday like a free pass, that's a culture problem, not a schedule problem.