Have you heard about the four-day work week? Recent studies show it’s gaining support.
In Arizona, west of Phoenix, one school district looked into a four-day school week for kindergarten through eighth graders.
A school district west of Phoenix has agreed to move to a four-day school week after months of research and community feedback.
In a news release from Liberty Elementary School District (LESD) on Nov. 14, it was announced the district that serves more than 4,500 students in Buckeye and Goodyear will shorten its school week.
The K-8 students will observe the new schedule in the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.
“The decision comes after months of research, community discussions and surveys. The idea was first explored last year as a cost savings measure in response to failing to pass a budget override. After surveying staff and families in the spring, it was clear this idea garnered initial support regardless of how much money it saved. For that reason, combined with the potential to better recruit teachers in a nationwide shortage, the idea was further explored,” the news release read.
A committee was formed and met several times to research, develop four-day plan options, and go over the pros and cons.
“The LESD administration recognizes that while this change may be viewed favorably by some, it is also not the first choice for some of our staff members and families. Much work lies ahead to adjust calendars, contracts and other logistics to line up with this new four-day week,” the district said.
Students will have an extra 40 minutes tacked onto their school day, but in exchange, they’ll have Fridays off.
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-school-district-approves-four-day-school-week
As for four-day work weeks, employers are having a tough time attracting employees. Especially getting them back into the office after working remotely. Many companies have hybrid schedules of two days in the office, three days at home, or the reverse.
Towards the end of 2022, headlines began popping up trumpeting the arrival, at long last, of a new way of working. Business Insider’s, for example, read: “New Research May Have Just Paved the Way for the 4-Day Week.” The research in question was the first large-scale, independent pilot programs to test the impact of reducing the workweek to roughly 32 hours, without any reduction in pay.
Conducted by the non-profit organization 4 Day Week Global (4WDG), the two pilots were based on six-month trials that included 33 companies and a total of 903 employees, primarily in the U.S. and Ireland. They confirmed a thesis that has been gathering steam for a while: a shorter work week is better for both employees and employers.
https://time.com/6248369/4-day-work-week-2023/
What’s your opinion of four-day school or work weeks?
