This U.S. Company Is Extending Its 4-Day Work Week Into 2023

Somehow, Labor Day is already behind us, with the final holiday weekend of the summer marking an unofficial end to the year's hottest season. But it's not our last three-day weekend of the year, thank goodness. For employees at Qwick, it isn't even the last three-day weekend of the month.

Qwick, a staffing platform for food and beverage businesses, started trialing the increasingly popular four-day work week in April 2022. The company reduced the total hours worked each week from 38 to 32. At the time, the company had 200 employees, but soon it was fielding a 230% increase in job applications. Also, the existing employees reported being happier and more well-rested for the work day.

"We also see a four-day workweek as a way to further support our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at Qwick. Many of our employees are caregivers. They leave work at the end of the day to go home to a 'second shift'," CEO Jamie Baxter wrote in a blog post. "We hope that a four-day workweek can alleviate stress in the lives of our working parents and help offset the rising cost of childcare, as well as benefit those attending to other important relationships and responsibilities. That includes a responsibility to care for ourselves."

After the success of these months of the trial, Baxter is extending it through July 2023. While this is excellent news for Qwick employees, it's also good news for the rest of us. Creating a better work environment, offering better benefits, and establishing a work-life balance is no longer a fringe approach to employment. Qwick sticking with this four-day work week, even for just another year, is part of a growing trend of employers offering the shorter week.

In the UK, 70 companies are trialing the four-day work week, and Panasonic is also testing out the benefits in Japan.

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