Should Law Firms Adopt a 4-Day Work Week?

With remote working becoming more popular, many companies are trying a 4-day work week. Even, some countries, such as Belgium and Iceland, are experimenting with a shortened workweek.

In the Forbes’ article, “Iceland Tried A Shortened Workweek And It Was An Overwhelming Success“, author Jack Kelly writes that between 2015 to 2019, Iceland conducted test cases of a 35-to-36-hour workweek. The study found that:

• Productivity and service provision remained the same or improved across the majority of trial workplaces.
• Worker well-being dramatically increased across a range of indicators, from perceived stress and burnout, to health and work-life balance.
• The trials were revenue neutral.

Similarly, the move to remote work has caused many North Americans to question their working conditions. In the Atlantic, Derek Thompson writes that there is a new norm developing. There is a trend of “… three days in the office for tech and media workers; four days in-person for hospital staff”. But despite these trends, there is still divergent views on the optimal working conditions. “According to Bloom’s survey data, more than 20 percent of respondents would prefer to work from home ‘rarely or never’, while more than 30 percent say they would prefer to stay home for the entire workweek. The most popular hybrid solution for employers—three days in the office for everybody—is the preference of just 14 percent of workers”.

With respect to law firms, some smaller companies have experimented with the 4-day workweek. However, it is unlikely that we will see larger law firms, who are built on billable hours, shortening their workweek anytime soon. Similar to Alibaba, many lawyers credit their success to the “996” culture. Working 6 days a week from 9am to 9pm.

Eventually I think more law firms will move to shortened workweeks. But only if they can move away from the billable hour as their business model and studies consistently show greater productivity and retention of employees.