Time Work in the Office and Shop: Workers’ Strategic Adaptations to the 4-Day Week
Abstract
Increasingly popular post-COVID-19 4-day workweek trials challenge deeply embedded 5-day, 40-hour temporal policies and practices, fostering time-work strategies by employees in the face of reduced working hours. This qualitative study in a small business manufacturing customized products finds similar adaptive responses among both office and shop workers. We detect four prevailing time-work strategies: (1) (re) organizing tasks, (2) shifting (work) time, (3) scheduling communication, and a more deliberate form of time shifting, (4) blocking out (work and nonwork) time. These strategies appear to reflect an increasing sense of employee agency. We discuss possible issues around sustainability.
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There is a lack of academic literature specifically on the 100:80:100 model format of 4DWW.
“Given the lack of academic literature specifically on the 100:80:100 model format of 4DWW”
From The four-day workweek in Australia: insights from early adopters of the 100:80:100 model (2026) · cites this paper as Moen and Chu, 2024
Existing studies of the 4DWW typically only focus on individual workplaces.
“existing studies typically only focus on individual workplaces (see Delaney andCasey, 2022, Moen andChu, 2024)”
From The four-day workweek in Australia: insights from early adopters of the 100:80:100 model (2026) · cites this paper as Moen and Chu, 2024
Studies of the 100:80:100 model in other settings have indicated that some organisations reverted back to standard work weeks soon after completing a trial period.
“studies of the 100:80:100 model in other settings (e.g., Moen & Chu, 2024) have indicated that some organisations have reverted back to standard work weeks soon after completing a trial period.”
From The four-day workweek in Australia: insights from early adopters of the 100:80:100 model (2026) · cites this paper as Moen & Chu, 2024
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- Authors
- Moen, P., & Chu, Y.
- Affiliations
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Moen, Phyllis
- Venue
- Work and Occupations
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2023-09-21
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 607-633
- ISSN
- 0093-9285 (ISSN-L)
- 0730-8884
- 1552-8464
- OpenAlex
- W4386966782
- Cited by
- 19
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 8.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Work and Occupations (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- McKnight Foundation (McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair)
- Russell Sage Foundation (2205-38631)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Work-Family Balance Challenges
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Employment, Labor, and Gender Studies
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
- Keywords
- employee agency, task organization, time shift, work-life boundaries, working time reduction, communication scheduling
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