Most people would love a four-day workweek. But it doesn’t work for everyone

If you’ve always thought you might be happier with a four-day workweek, you’re hardly alone.

When asked how six different options would impact their well-being at work, a full 77% of US workers said a four-day, 40-hour workweek would have a positive impact, with 46% saying it would have an “extremely positive” effect and 31% saying it would have a “somewhat positive” effect.

That’s according to a survey released Tuesday by Gallup, in partnership with Bentley University. More than 3,200 employed US adults answered the well-being questions, among the nearly 5,500 people who took the broader survey.

In other words, they gave high marks to working the standard 40-hour week, just over four days instead of five.

While studies of four-day workweek experiments in the United States and Europe have found generally positive results in terms of employee productivity and well-being, it’s not necessarily a positive for everyone in every situation. As with hybrid work, much will depend both on how your four days are scheduled, where you work and your individual work style.

Last year, Gallup found that among more than 12,000 full-time employees, 84% said they worked five days a week and 8% said they worked four days a week. Those on the four-day schedule did not report a significantly higher level of well-being than those who worked five days — and they reported higher levels of burnout.

“The reason for this is likely that the four-day workweek might work for some people and some jobs, but could cause issues in other situations,” said Jim Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist for workplace management and wellbeing. “Outside studies support this. Burnout is a work-related syndrome. If people are forced to cram their work into four days when they prefer five — and if they need longer days to do so — it could cause burnout.”

Another influence, Harter said, might be the type of job you have. Those who always have to work onsite might get a greater benefit from a four-day workweek because it provides an element of flexibility that they don’t have now. “Whereas, in remote-ready jobs, there is some built-in flexibility, which may create less need for a four-day workweek,” he noted.

While the four-day workweek was the top pick overall in the newly released Gallup survey, when it comes to having a positive impact on well-being, two other options were not far behind. Respondents gave the next-highest marks to employers offering a set number of paid mental health days (74%) and limiting the amount of work employees are expected to do beyond the regular workday (73%).

When it comes to after-hours work, more than 60% of respondents said they thought their well-being would improve if employers limit the amount of time employees are expected to spend working on email after hours (66%). And more than 60% also expected a positive impact if they were offered free mental health counseling sessions (65%) and mental health screenings (61%).