In May 2019, the WHO expanded its definition of burnout, describing it as a “syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”.

Just under a year later, amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, cases of burnout soared – and heralded a sea change in the way employees thought about work.

In the run-up to the lockdowns, society had become increasingly driven by productivity and busyness. Busyness was worn as a badge of honour despite the exhaustion and lack of balance it left – and continues to leave – in its wake.

The pandemic forced a seismic shift in ways of working across the globe, with remote and flexible arrangements becoming the new norm. This unprecedented disruption prompted a re-evaluation of traditional work structures, leading many to question whether the five-day workweek is still relevant – and useful – in a post-pandemic world.

Enter 4 Day Week Global – a nonprofit established by Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart based on a successful programme they launched in New Zealand at an estate planning company called Perpetual Guardian in 2018. It aimed to provide a platform for like-minded people interested in supporting the idea, and it began to run a series of six-month-long pilots in various countries – with results that showed less burnout, higher job satisfaction and better mental and physical health.

In February 2023, the four-day workweek came to South Africa, with 28 local companies and one from Botswana signing up.  

Old Mutual’s advisory and rewards management business, Remchannel, conducted a survey of 85 companies to test the waters more broadly. The results of the survey were published in May 2023.

Some 72% of respondents said they believed the four-day workweek would not only bolster employee work-life balance but would also improve talent retention.

René Richter, Managing Director of Remchannel, said 80% of employers surveyed had heard of the four-day workweek trial, with 55% believing it could lead to cost savings and 62% that it could increase productivity.

Tried and tested: feedback from South African businesses participating in the programme.

Dr Francois Kotze, General Manager of Maties Gymnasium at Stellenbosch University, says they began by having a selected number of employees taking part in the project as they are open seven days a week, but since 1 June, they have included all 37 employees in the pilot.

“It’s been a mixed bag of results so far,” he says. “Employees are seeing the benefits, as they have ramped up their productivity to get more done in the shortened working days, but some employees struggle with time management and planning. The biggest negative impact can be seen in general communication and teamwork. As we have very long operational hours, employees cannot interact with one another daily. Also, managers do not see some of their team members for days, and this makes effective communication very difficult.”

Kay Orlandi, Founder and Strategic Partner at 3Verse, says they have split their departments into two teams in order to service their clients, who work five days fully. Off days have been selected based on how busy they are.

“We’ve seen fewer sick days, and staff look forward to having the day, based on managing stress levels and being in a good mental space to provide our clients with our absolute best. Staff are also not leaving work for life-admin things like sorting out vehicle tyres, therapy visits, etc., and micro-managing isn’t as prominent.

“Our biggest lesson was to ensure a level of transparency and sharing the load with co-workers. Therefore, the workflow has improved with minimal balls being dropped.”

What’s interesting is the different ways companies have instituted shorter working hours. David-John Wayne Bailey, Marketing Manager at Big Beard Web Solutions, says they tested half-day Fridays and Mondays in their first month. “I now have every Monday off, and while Tuesdays can be a bit tricky, I’ve used tools and scheduling techniques to make it a smooth transition to the benefit of our clients,” he notes.

He is delighted to have more time with his wife and daughter, as well as for personal projects, and says their employees all appear more relaxed even in the midst of moving into a new office and onboarding new staff and clients.

A major takeaway for him is that deep work is imperative to securing the future of their enterprise. “With one day less, I can now focus my resources to achieve maximum results in a shorter period of time,” he says.

A combination of more rested, relaxed employees and greater productivity seems to be a common result. “For example, our technicians were tasked to book an extra 0.5 hours on their timesheets, and some accomplished more than what was asked,” says Annerike Meiring, Human Resource Officer at Elnatan.

“The experience has been fun but challenging,” she says. “The cons are that staff are not always available when a customer is used to dealing with them, but most customers are excited with us. The biggest lesson we have learnt is to not make up your mind in advance about the four-day workweek. Take it for a test run first, then decide if it will work.”

Balancing client and customer expectations

Caitlin Bauristhene, Director of KLA, says they have chosen Fridays as their “reward day”. “We balance our client and customer expectations through clear communication and back-up/on-call systems to ensure that urgent requests can still be managed,” she says. “However, focused planning and proactive communication have meant that very few clients have needed to engage with us on the reward day.”

She notes, however, that it requires consistent effort to keep honing habits. “A unified effort is critical to success – it’s easier when the system works together to reinforce new behaviour patterns.”

Dion Chang, Founder of Flux Trends, says their research indicates that people have rethought their relationship to work in every sector – seen in movements like the four-day workweek and quiet quitting.

“Corporates tend to have a kneejerk reaction to a four-day workweek and say, no, we can’t do it,” he says. “But the 40-hour workweek was never designed for knowledge workers. Too many corporates are fundamentally stuck in the time = productivity equation,” he says. “They need to switch to an output and outcome measurement model.”

He emphasises, however, that the key concept behind ideas such as a four-day workweek isn’t so much about the number of days or hours: it’s about flexibility. “Maybe you decide to have a 38-hour week. Perhaps some people only come to work every other day. It’s about finding new work models. It’s not about being fixated on four days.”

Karen Lowe, Head of Global Partnerships and Director of 4 Day Week South Africa, concludes: “Implementing a four-day workweek poses unique challenges across industries, especially those reliant on semi-skilled and unskilled labour. However, pilot programmes globally have shown promise, and we believe South Africa’s innovative mindset can explore new methods for the benefit of workers. Careful assessment is crucial to prevent job losses and inequality and to consider social and cultural dynamics within the country.”

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