2024-03-02 05:29:13
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As artificial intelligence (AI) is applied to the workplace, companies are emerging that are reducing the number of working days for employees.
Working only four days a week and receiving pay for five days is a dream for many office workers. However, with the dramatic changes in the working environment during the pandemic, things that were difficult to even imagine in the past are becoming a reality for some people.
Examples of the four-day work week are emerging around the world. In particular, after confirming positive pilot results in several countries such as the UK, Iceland, and Portugal, more companies are adopting it.
Germany, which has just begun a pilot operation targeting 45 companies, is paying attention to new factors. AI is being introduced into the workplace at a rapid pace. Some experts say AI will accelerate the spread of the four-day work week.
Data collected by the British news and event information company ‘tech.co’ at the end of 2023 also supports this. The company conducted a survey of over 1,000 business leaders in the U.S. to forecast ‘the working environment that will change through technology in 2024.’ As a result of the survey, 29% of organizations implementing a four-day workweek system were using AI extensively in company operations.
Operations were being simplified with generative AI programs such as ChatGPT. On the other hand, only 8% of companies with a 5-day work week were using AI at this level. Additionally, while 93% of companies using AI were open to a four-day workweek, less than half of companies that did not use AI were open to a four-day workweek.
‘Drift Time’, a design agency operating in the UK, introduced AI technology to operate a four-day work week. Abde Tayo, co-founder of the company, said, “By leaving simple tasks to AI, we were able to reclaim valuable time that was previously spent on extra work.”
“Using tools like Modify, you can modify the entire graphic in real time. “Designers can come up with ideas much more easily and conveniently.”
Tayo believes that working intensively in a short period of time is reasonable for both employees and the company. He said, “Instead of a decrease in production due to the four-day work week, the quality of work has improved surprisingly and employee satisfaction has also increased,” adding, “Employees’ health and happiness are directly correlated with improved work performance.”
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As technology becomes more common, workers could get extra days off
Shane Simpson, CEO of Technet IT Recruit, based in the UK, also cited AI as the basis for the success of the company’s four-day workweek policy. This company has automated tasks that were previously performed manually, such as data entry, sending confirmation emails, resume screening, and candidate promotion. As a result, we were able to reduce the working hours of each recruitment consultant by 21 hours per week.
The time it takes for this company to hire full-time employees has decreased by an average of 10 days. “This allows our employees to meet their weekly goals earlier in the week, and allows our consultants to work flexibly and even take Fridays off,” Simpson said.
Simpson said the shorter workday not only boosted productivity and morale, but also helped attract talent. “Experienced recruiting professionals are attracted to the streamlined process, while new talent is eager to work with new tools.” As talented people flocked to the company, the overall business of the company became more vibrant.
It is clear that AI is laying the foundation for the four-day workweek in some industries. However, technology alone cannot bring about complete change. Na Fu, who lectures in human resource management at Trinity Business School in Ireland, said organizational culture within a company is also a fundamental factor.
He said, “In the process of successfully establishing the four-day workweek system, openness to innovative work structures, an experimental mindset, and, above all, a culture based on a high level of trust play an important role.”
Fu said that as digital transformation through AI progresses, employees must also raise their own standards. “Rather than becoming mere managers or servants to machines, workers must improve their performance by developing new capabilities that can leverage, complement, and lead with AI.”
Fu also said that there are certain industries that can benefit more from AI than others. Areas where generative AI can be used in work include software development, content creation, marketing, and legal services. Another view he holds is that there is still a long way to go before AI can significantly reduce human working hours across industries.
Perhaps it may not ultimately be robots that lead the transition to a four-day workweek in an AI-based business environment. Fu said management buy-in is needed, and whether leaders embrace this unconventional concept will depend on the purpose and values the company values.
For example, instead of using AI to supplement human work, some companies may automate certain tasks and entrust employees with other tasks in the free time created in the process.
However, despite differing opinions from some quarters, many business leaders, including global corporate leaders, predict that the future of work will be one in which weekly working hours are reduced through technology. In October 2023, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., said this in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
“Your children will live to be 100, and they will probably work 3.5 days a week.”
From the employees’ perspective, they will need to watch the trend carefully in the future.
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