A recent Bankrate survey has unveiled strong support among younger workers for a shortened work week, with 83% of Gen Z and millennial employees (aged 18-42) expressing their backing for a 4-day work week.
"We're seeing this interesting new phenomenon...that's really caught the attention of these younger workers," Bankrate Analyst Sarah Foster says.
Also an overwhelming 92% of respondents would be willing to make work-related sacrifices to attain this schedule.
But the desire for the trend contrasts sharply with the current workplace reality.
Recent data from ADP indicates that only 12% of U.S. workers have access to a four-day work week in 2023, a modest increase from 9% reported last year, primarily offered as a mental health perk.
When considering sacrifices, younger workers expressed their readiness to embrace a 4-day work week, with 48% willing to work longer hours, 35% open to changing jobs or companies, 33% prepared to work fully in person, and 20% ready to take fewer vacation days. Furthermore, 13% of respondents would accept a pay cut, while 12% would even contemplate taking a step back in their careers.
"So those younger workers appear to be ready to do whatever it takes to work fewer hours," Foster points out.
A significant 67% of Gen Z and millennial workers indicated their willingness to make multiple sacrifices for a shorter work week, with 43% expressing openness to sacrificing three or more aspects of their jobs to achieve this schedule.
In comparison, among Gen X and baby boomer workers (ages 43-77), 78% support a four-day work week, with 86% willing to make one sacrifice. However, only 43% would consider making more than one sacrifice, and merely 26% would entertain the idea of sacrificing three or more aspects of their jobs for this arrangement.
“Demands for a four-day workweek bring up a trade-off that’s been around for as long as work itself: The cost of work and the price of leisure," Foster says. "At the heart of it is an acknowledgement that time is a coveted resource in itself, and in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, Americans may be putting a new value on priorities such as flexibility and work-life balance.”
If you're looking to make a move to more flexibility in your current job, Sarah has some tips to negotiate for more flexibility.
1. Take small steps. Start small with perhaps one Friday off a month.
2. Take the time off you're entitled to. Don't leave unused vacation or PTO on the table.
3. Speak the company's language.
"It doesn't matter what you're negotiating for, as long as your are coming into the negotiation speaking a company's language by providing a business case for the the idea that you want to implement, for talking about the work that you do and the value that you bring and how this could help increase that, you're going to be armed to having a great discussion with your employer. And at the end of the day, the worst case scenario is that they say no. But I think what's really important is to just be starting this conversation with your employer if you are interested," Foster says.
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