Four-Day Week

Working less is more

Four-day workweek should be implemented in schools

Nate Albin albinnat000@hsestudents.org

The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools nationwide to company travel went down around 20%, which shows the plan make drastic changes to how they operate, and HSE leads to less emissions from travel. Furthermore, the department Schools was no exception. Minor changes like four found there was an increase in time for sanitation crews to clean, people per lunch table and scanning QR codes for contact and fewer vacation days were taken. Clearly, there are benefits tracing purposes were easy adjustments and will be removed beyond productivity. once it is safe to. There were also major changes, with arguably Widespread use of the four-day workweek could be on the the two biggest being the change to block schedule and turning horizon for businesses everywhere. CNBC reported that, in Fridays into eLearning days. Spain, the government has pledged 50 Starting next year, the district will move Hypothetical million Euros to help businesses pilot the permanently to the block schedule, but Fridays will no longer be eLearning days. schedule for next four-day week. To the north, Joe Ryle of the British-based “4 Day Week Campaign” said At a Jan.15 school board meeting, the board voted to have Fridays be eLearning days for year: the idea has “grown in both popularity and momentum” since the COVID-19 pandemic. the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. He explained that because of the pandemic Teachers post an assignment by 9 a.m., and students have by Monday morning to complete them. These days also provide another opportunity for teachers to assist Monday: In-Person Periods 1 - 4 suddenly forcing people to work virtually, people realized that the way we view the workweek can change rapidly. So based on all of this, what would a four-day week at students. Especially with the district adopting FHS look like? the block schedule, they should move to Tuesday: Next year, school will start at 8:30 a.m. a four-day workweek model and keep the In-Person and end at 3:00 p.m. Imagine though that eLearning Fridays. The four-day workweek model, while not Periods 5 - 7 students are encouraged to come in at 8:00 a.m. and use those first 30 minutes as free widely used, has shown great potential in the work time for students. This allows for business world. One of the best examples is Wednesday: students to have a half hour of individual when Microsoft Japan attempted the four- In-Person work time in the morning. From there, day week over the summer of 2019. The Periods 1 - 4 students go to first period from 8:30 a.m. to changes were drastic, with the branch of the 9:50 a.m. and then have 10 minutes to get global company reporting that productivity to second period, which runs from 10 a.m. increased 40%. Alongside the rise in Thursday: to 11:20 a.m. This could lead to an hourproductivity, Microsoft Japan was also able In-Person long break. During this time, there would to use 23% less electricity and print 60% fewer Periods 5 - 7 be the regular lunch cycles, but also time for pages. Most importantly, 92% of workers said students and teachers to have a mid-day reset. they were happier because of the change. Third period would be from 12:40 to 1:30 Elephant Ventures, a company that shifted to four days while extending the workday Friday: p.m., followed by fourth period from 1:40 p.m. until the end of the day at 3 p.m. The from eight hours to 10, showed similar eLearning next day, there could be periods five through successes. Art Schectman, company founder Due on seven, as well as Targeted Instruction, which and president, said that they started to see the benefits after about a month. The keys Monday is set aside time for students who need help from teachers. With this, Fridays would were simple: flexibility and streamlining. remain as eLearning days where students First, while their days were 10 hours, the Graphic by Nate AlGraphic by Nate Albin. bin get assignments and can get even more help. company trusted that workers who missed This would expand upon what Targeted time during the week would work on Fridays, which they did. Instruction can do because the teacher would not have to deal Meetings were shortened, attendance was cut down and they with distractions of other students and it would allow for more instead gave that time for personal work time in the early one-on-one time. morning and after lunch. All of these changes led to what they More is not always better. A fifth day of school, while the norm, believed was increased engagement and better work overall. may not be the best option for our school. The pandemic has While the productivity benefits of the four-day workweek caused sudden shifts to how we live, and that includes how we are evident, the potential profit gains are not the only reason; conduct school. Even though it will be great to return normal, some reasons are environmental. The Lake County, Illinois that does not mean we should leave all the innovations the Environmental Health Department tried this model and pandemic brought behind us.