A new study has found that workers in America are feeling burnt out and used up by the end of the work week, but one change could end up improving their work-life balance.
According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management, implementing a summer schedule that includes an early release on Fridays could help employees battle tiredness and burnout.
The study surveyed 1,405 US employees and found that 44% feel burnt out by the end of their work week, with 45% feeling “emotionally drained and 51% feeling “used up” by the end of each day.
But with it being hard to offer employees better pay and benefits to boost morale, the surveyors suggested an alternate schedule in the summer to help retain employees and improve their work experience.
Still, before companies offer the extra time off, surveyors shared that they should stagger time off for employees to ensure they aren’t running into issues with workload or deadlines.
The study comes as many in the US are calling for a switch up to the regular five-day work week that we’ve come to know.
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Several have pointed to studies done outside the states, to countries like Ireland, South Africa, the UK, Spain, Japan, Iceland, and Belgium. As a result of giving workers a three-day weekend, businesses saw an improvement in employee productivity, morale, and team culture, a report from last year shared.
Domestically, some companies have ventured to try and offer employees a better summer experience, with the 24-hour gym Anytime Fitness offering its corporate employees four-day work weeks in the summer of 2022.
While testing has been limited in the US, a KPMG survey of CEOS from April of this year found that 30% of large US companies are now exploring the schedule shifts of either four-day or four-and-a-half-day work weeks.
Workers would also be willing to do their entire 40 hours in four days to get the extra day off, as according to a Gallup poll from November, 77% said working four 10-hour days would have a positive impact on their well-being.
Still, any large move at the federal level to limit the typical American work week hasn’t received much attention, meaning the decision on you receiving an extra weekend day is solely in the hands of your company.
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