20 Biggest Four-Day Work Week Companies (Oct 2024)

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ByHenry O'Loughlin

4 day work week companies

During the Industrial Revolution, factory workers logged 80-100 hours per week. But in 1926, Henry Ford popularized the 40-hour work week after he found that working more barely yielded an increase in productivity. It was a breakthrough in how we work. But it was also nearly one hundred years ago.

Just like how Henry Ford implemented the five-day work, today’s visionary companies have implemented four-day work weeks for better work-life balance and higher productivity.

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The Biggest 4-Day Work Week Companies

Here are 20 well-known companies that have implemented a four-day work week:

Company

Policy

Jobs

Story & Date

Basecamp

Seasonal
32 Hours



United States:

"As I write this it’s the first week of May, and there’s an energetic buzz in the air — because it means that Summer Hours are about to start here at Basecamp. 

During summer, we work 4-day work weeks, aka 'summer hours'. Summer hours are in effect from May 1 through August 31 each year."

Welcome to the Jungle

Permanent
32 Hours

June 1, 2019

France:

"Welcome to the Jungle tried out the four-day working week in 2019 for five months, between June and October. After the trial ended, the company decided to implement the four-day week, without impacting salaries."

Microsoft Japan

Trial
32 Hours


Japan: 

"Workers at Microsoft Japan enjoyed an enviable perk this summer: working four days a week, enjoying a three-day weekend — and getting their normal, five-day paycheck. The result, the company says, was a productivity boost of 40%," said Bill Chappell in an NPR article.

Buffer

Permanent
32 Hours


United States:

"As April comes to a close, and we look ahead to another month where our global team is living in various forms of lockdown and isolation, I decided that for the month of May, Buffer will operate under a 4-day workweek (at full pay) across the whole 89-person team."

(Buffer finished the one-month trial, then a six-month trial, then made the policy permanent.)

Toshiba


Japan:

"Technology group Toshiba will begin a four-day workweek in June for employees on the plant floor, giving them one more day in exchange for longer hours while on site, maintaining the annual work hours."

Shopify

Seasonal
32 Hours


Canada:

In a tweet by Carl Rivera, VP of Product, said, "Today Shopify announced Fridays off for R&R through August. A response to lower rates of vacation being scheduled, despite the increased mental pressure from the changing times that we’re in. And, we also have no meeting Wednesdays (since before it was cool)."

Mizuho Financial Group

Permanent

Optional 


Japan:

"Mizuho, Japan’s third-largest lender by assets, will give about 45,000 employees the option to work three or four days a week, the spokeswoman said. It aims to make the option available from December after holding talks with its labour union," wrote the Reuters staff. 

Piktochart

Permanent


United States:

"We believe that by prioritizing our people, we will be able to build better products and a successful, sustainable business for the long run.

The 4 day work week is something that we see can help us to achieve our goals."

Unilever New Zealand

Trial

32 Hours

November 30, 2020


New Zealand:

"Unilever, a major international company, said all 81 staff members at its offices across New Zealand would be able to participate in the trial, starting next week and running for 12 months until December next year. The employees would be paid for five days while working just four," - The Guardian.

Awin

Permanent
32 Hours


United States:

"After a successful 6 month 4 ½ day work week pilot, offering increased flexibility and autonomy for its staff during the pandemic, global affiliate network has announced that from early 2021 its entire workforce will move to a 4-day work week with no reduction in salaries," Aithority wrote.

Kickstarter

Unknown

United States:

"Kickstarter plans next year to test a four-day work week with some or all of its employees, though details of that remain to be figured out, including whether all workers will have the same schedule," wrote Ina Fried for Axios.

Galt Pharmaceuticals 

Permanent


United Kingdom:

"We understand that life is work, but work doesn’t always have to consume life…And time is needed to recharge batteries and dedicate to the self and family," Barry Patel, CEO, said in a LinkedIn post.

Bolt

Permanent
32 Hours


United States:

"I believe a 4 day work week isn’t an “if” for most companies, it’s a “when.” In true Bolt spirit, we didn’t wait around to follow others - we put our money where our mouth is. I’m honored to lead the company this way and can’t wait to share the results along the way."

Wonderlic

Permanent
32 Hours


United States:

"After reviewing the results of a successful 12-week summer trial, Wonderlic is fully instating a 32-hour, four-day work week, effective immediately."

Atom Bank

Permanent
34 Hours


England:

"A British bank has adopted a four-day work week for all its employees without cutting pay, saying it's the largest UK company so far to make such a move.

Atom Bank announced on Tuesday that it had also reduced the weekly hours of its 430 staff to 34 from 37.5 and expected most workers to take either Monday or Friday off."

thredUP

Permanent


United States:

"Did we mention that we are currently utilizing a 4 day work week to really emphasize the importance and value of work-life balance? When our team shows up for work, they are energized and motivated to succeed - all while being the most crucial piece to keeping the thredUP operations humming."

Panasonic


Permanent
Optional

January 6, 2022


Japan:

"Executives at some Japanese firms are reacting to the pandemic by adopting more flexible work arrangements.

Those at Panasonic say they will allow their employees the option of scaling down to a 4-day week."

D'Youville College

Trial

32 Hours

January 10, 2022


United States:

"The four-day workweek has come to an American college.

D’Youville College in Buffalo, N.Y., turned heads last week when it announced that staff and administrators would shift to a four-day, 32-hour workweek—down from the five-day, 37.5-hour week they previously worked—without any reduction to their pay or benefits. The private college is launching the four-day workweek on a trial basis, with plans to assess how it’s working, and whether there have been any changes in student satisfaction, after six months."

Canon (UK)

Trial

January 16, 2022

England:

"A British arm of the camera company Canon will this year become one of the latest businesses to trial a four-day working week with no loss of pay, as part of a six-month trial run by academics at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford."

KPMG

Seasonal
32 Hours

February 10, 2022

United States:

"We at @KPMG
are excited to announce this summer, each and every KPMGer will be given Friday’s off going to a 4 day work week. Basically a long weekend EVERY weekend!"

4-day work week companies

 

4-Day Work Week Company Definitions

Here’s how we define the four-day work week policies you see in that column:

  1. Permanent: The company has four work days each week indefinitely with no reduction in pay.
  2. Trial: The company is experimenting with a four-day week over a fixed time period.
  3. Seasonal: The company works four days per week for portions of the year (like summer) rather than the full year.
  4. Optional: Employees have the choice to work four days per week but it comes with pro-rated (lower) pay.

See Also: 4-Day Work Week Countries | Tracking 4-Day Week Bills | Short Working Week Schedule Options


 

How many hours do 4-day companies work?

4-day work week hours
We have 407 companies with 11 variations of working hours per week:

  • 32 Hours: 87%
  • 35 Hours: 2%
  • 36 Hours: 3%
  • 40 Hours: 4%
  • Seven schedules with a 1% or less share


 

In which countries are the most 4-day companies located?

4-day work week countries

Right now, we have 407 four-day work week companies across 27 countries.

  • United Kingdom: 44%
  • United States: 31%
  • Canada: 5%
  • Australia: 5%
  • 23 countries with a 2% share or less

(Here is an analysis of company adoption of the four-day work week by country.)

 

What are the most common 4-day work week policies?

4-day work week policies

Here are the four-day policies for the 407 companies in our database:

  • Permanent: 82%
  • Trial: 13%
  • Optional: 3%
  • Seasonal: 2%

4-day work week companies

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7 Comments

  2. This is BY FAR the most complete source of information on everything to do with shorter work hours that I’ve ever seen. Congratulations! We should talk about the abortive California legislation soon. While many shorter hours bills get stalled in legislative committee due to political maneuvering, this one is simply badly designed if what you say in your article is anywhere close to accurate. To be continued, I hope.

    Reply

  4. Great post! Really enjoyed reading it. Your insights are spot-on and your writing style is engaging. Looking forward to more content like this!

    Reply

  6. This is undeniably the most comprehensive source of information on shorter work hours I’ve ever encountered. Congratulations! We should discuss the unsuccessful California legislation soon. While many bills on shorter work hours often get stuck in legislative committees due to political tactics, this particular one seems poorly crafted if your article’s assertions are even remotely accurate. Looking forward to continuing this conversation.

    Reply

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