Should You Give Everyone (Including Yourself) Fridays Off?

4 Day Week Global is an international nonprofit research and advocacy organization focused on promoting a four-day, 32-hour work week with no loss of pay. It runs large-scale pilot programs with employers around the world and works with academic researchers to measure the impact on productivity, revenue, worker wellbeing, and even climate. So far, it has run four-day work week trials across six continents. The results have been consistent: fewer working days, similar or better business results, and happier people.

In the UK’s largest four-day work week trial, companies reported a 71% drop in employee burnout, 55% of workers said their ability to work improved, and sick leave and absenteeism dropped by 65%.

Following the trial, 92% of participating companies chose to continue with a four-day work week.

But for small business owners, the question is, “Can I afford to give everyone Fridays off?”

The same trials also showed an average 35% increase in revenue, suggesting that, for some businesses, working fewer days didn’t mean doing or earning less.

What’s Wrong With a Five-Day Work Week?

The five-day work week was designed for a very different economy: one built around physical presence, fixed hours, and clear boundaries between work and home. Today, work is more digital, more cognitive, and far more likely to spill into evenings, weekends, and personal time. What looks like a “normal” work week on paper often turns into something longer and heavier in real life.

The five-day schedule still gets work done. But growing evidence suggests it no longer reflects how people actually work, how they want to work, or how productive they feel they could be.

In a survey of 2,000 employed Americans, seven in ten said they believe they could be just as productive working four days instead of five. Nearly the same number felt they could do their job in 32 hours a week, pointing to time lost to fatigue, interruptions, and low-value work rather than a lack of effort.

Not everyone agrees. About 29% said a shorter week wouldn’t work for them, showing that the conversation is far from settled. Still, many workers feel the current model doesn’t match how work actually happens day to day.

The survey also revealed that millennials were the most supportive of a four-day work week (75%), followed closely by Gen Z (70%) and Gen X (70%). Among working boomers, support dropped to 48%.

When asked to compare their work life to a year ago:

52% said they’re working harder than before
35% said their workload is about the same
Only 13% said they’re working less

At the same time:

38% said they feel overworked
18% reported working outside their expected hours every day
41% said they work beyond official hours several times a week or more

If a four-day work week became an option, Friday was the most popular day to take off (55%), followed by Monday (24%).

Related:

When Everyone Is Overworked, Mistakes Are Easier to Make

When one person is stretched thin, the workload often shifts to others and over time, that pressure turns into a business risk.

People who are tired or overloaded change their working habits change in small but important ways. Tasks that should follow a clear process are handled from memory because slowing down feels unrealistic. Emails get skimmed instead of being read carefully, and replies are being sent quickly just to clear the inbox.

This is often where things start to put the business at risk. Overworked teams are more likely to click on links without checking who sent them, approve invoices without reviewing the details, or miss subtle warning signs that something isn’t right. When work spills into evenings or late nights, decision-making becomes harder, and falling for scams becomes easier.

Over time, constant pressure leads to shortcuts. Passwords get reused because remembering several feels like too much. Security steps are skipped because they interrupt the flow of work. Updates are postponed because they don’t feel as urgent as client requests or deadlines.

In small businesses, these moments matter more as one rushed decision can lead to locked accounts, exposed data, or money leaving the business before anyone has time to react.

Whether you decide a shorter week makes sense for your business, or stick with a traditional setup, digital risks don’t take days off.

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