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Shorter weeks are a strategy, not a perk
by Drew Robbins
3 min read
Take The Lead
With AI-powered tools making work more efficient, four-day workweeks offer steady output with higher well-being when teams redesign how work happens.
With new AI-powered tools in the modern workplace, the four day workweek is looking more realistic. Trials in the UK and beyond report steady output with higher well being, and most companies keep the model after pilots because revenue holds and turnover falls (Autonomy, 2023). AI is cutting busywork and surfacing insights faster, and teams that set clear weekly outcomes, right size meetings, and automate routine tasks are finding they can protect a third day for recovery without losing results (SHRM, 2024).
Leaders who test shorter weeks do not squeeze five days into four, they redesign how work happens. Meetings are right sized, routine tasks are automated, and teams commit to visible weekly outcomes that make tradeoffs clear. The shift is cultural as much as operational. Coverage is planned in advance, boundaries are respected, and managers model disconnecting on the extra day so recovery is real. People return rested, focus improves, judgment gets sharper, and customers still get what they need because the team aligns on results instead of hours.
Working a four day week, people feel energized, capable, and more optimistic about their lives, and their jobs.
— Juliet Schor, economist and researcher on work hour reduction
If your team could hold results steady in 32 hours, what would you redesign first to make it work?
Try This
Run a time boxed pilot with clear weekly outcomes, automate one routine workflow, and stagger days off for coverage.
Notice What Happens
Track output, meeting load, and stress, look for fewer low value tasks and sharper focus.
Share or Reflect
Name one process you would cut or one task you would automate to free time for deep work.
Keep Going
Use the data to refine the model, reinforce boundaries, and keep leading on outcomes over hours.
If this resonates, share with your network to help more leaders build safe and productive teams.
