Are 4-day work weeks a good idea? These founders say no

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This is a Discuss post, where we feature short but insightful opinions from the Asian tech community on startup, entrepreneurship, and tech topics.

Several companies (and even schools) outside Asia have implemented four-day work weeks, where employees get three days off and work only four days a week. Such work arrangement arguably boosts productivity and improves employees’ health.

It may be the kind of flexibility many employees dream of, but would it work for Asian tech companies?

We asked some startup founders in Asia for their thoughts.

Editor’s note: Answers have been edited for clarity.

Aakrit Vaish, co-founder and CEO at Haptik

It’s true that a four-day work week can potentially help with productivity, but it requires a great deal of discipline. The company also has to operate like a machine. That means minimal coffee breaks, zero idle time, and short lunch breaks.

If the rules are not followed correctly, that kind of work arrangement can lead to a drop in productivity. It can also give new employees the impression that the organization isn’t fast-paced. And if you have a customer-facing role, the rest of the world would be working on your days off, which may not be fun.

I don’t think Indian organizations have the maturity to pull off something like this. I say that because of how people are wired here culturally. Five smoking breaks and 10 chai coffee breaks are very normal. We also tend to do everything at the last minute. To pull off a four-day work week, people should be able to complete as much work as they do in seven days with extreme focus and discipline.

I think implementing old-school techniques is actually the way to improve a startup’s productivity. For example, get rid of open offices and go back to a cubicle-style structure. Remove flexible working hours where people can walk in and out anytime. I feel that the “Facebook culture” has led to a college-style working environment at startups these days, which does not work.

Let’s discuss