When Less is More: A systematic review of four-day workweek conceptualizations and their effects on organizational performance

TL;DR

This paper systematically reviews four-day workweek concepts and their organizational impacts, developing a meta-framework to guide adoption based on managerial needs and contextual factors.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive synthesis of four-day workweek conceptualizations and introduces a meta-framework linking these to organizational and social effects.

Findings

Identifies multiple conceptualizations of four-day workweeks

Develops a meta-framework linking concepts to effects

Guides adoption based on managerial prerequisites

Abstract

Context: Agile IT organizations, which are characterized by self-organization and collaborative social interactions, require motivating, efficient and flexible work environments to maximize value creation. Compressed work schedules such as the four-day workweek have evolved into multiple facets over the last decades and are associated with various benefits for organizations and their employees. Objective: Our objective in this study is to deepen our comprehension of the impact of compressed work schedules on the operational efficacy of IT enterprises, while concurrently developing a comprehensive framework delineating the intricacies of compressed work schedules.Method: We conducted a systematic review of available conceptualizations related to four-day workweek schedules and elaborate on their organizational and social effects. To cover scientific and practice-oriented literature, our review combined a systematic literature review and a web content analysis. Results: Based on the generated insights, we derive a meta-framework that matches conceptualizations and effects, finally guiding the adoption of compressed work schedules based on individual managerial prerequisites and circumstances.