I haven't been on vacation this week, but I am feeling the aftereffects of Labor Day. Which brings up a pretty popular topic -- four-day work weeks.

First, a definition (or at least my definition -- you do what you want). A four-day work week crams five or more days into four, with no reduction in total hours or loss of productivity.

For some companies, actually closing one day a week can mean an energy savings (we've talked about this before). For some employees, a savings in commuting time (PLUS a three-day weekend every week). The craziness starts as you decide whether a company stays open, but splits the fifth day among employees (e.g., some work on Friday, some on Monday). Then, employees -- are you used to working 10-hour days?

A little perspective -- I've worked four-day weeks in the past (also 3-day weeks and 6-day weeks, but those are stories for another time). I loved it, would love to do it again. But there is a concern now that didn't exist before -- a big concern in these days of fewer people working longer hours to increase productivity. How do you accommodate an increased workload as needed when you're already working 10 hours?

When we talk about transitioning to a flexible workplace (yes, it came up at a Labor Day barbecue), four-day weeks always pop up in the conversation. I don't know that it's really all that simple. And if you add in a season's worth of H1N1 virus decimating the workforce, we could be in for a lot of mixed ideas about how to keep a company going.

What's your best idea?

photo by tziralis