A four-day workweek sounds appealing to workers. Possibly alarming to employers.

A bill introduced in the California legislature earlier this year proposed a regular pay rate for 32 hours of work per week, with overtime kicking in after that. The measure stalled in committee for a lack of broad support but could resurface in 2023.

Meanwhile, 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit foundation associated with Oxford University, is piloting a six-month trial of a four-day workweek B次元官网网址渨ith no loss of pay for employees.B次元官网网址� More than three dozen companies in the U.S. and Canada are participating in the experiment, with a total of 150 organizations and 7,000 employees involved worldwide.

Of more than 1,000 U.S. adult employees surveyed by research firm Qualtrics in January, 92% said they would support their employer going to a four-day workweek; 79% of them said it would help mental health, and 82% said it would make them more productive .

Will more employers embrace the change?

THE CHANGE CAN BE CHALLENGING

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always been curious about burnout. It truly affects those that should be thriving,B次元官网网址� says Lisa Belanger, CEO of ConsciousWorks in Canmore, Alberta. She consults with businesses on workplace well-being. In her quest to find B次元官网网址渉ow work is meant to be,B次元官网网址� she decided to explore a four-day workweek herself.

Results have been mixed, at best, she says.

B次元官网网址淚 think IB次元官网网址檝e failed so far in my own personal experiment,B次元官网网址� Belanger says. Business travel plans or other work-related responsibilities often interrupted her Day Five off.

B次元官网网址淥ne of the reasons itB次元官网网址檚 so challenging for me, and most people, to do a four-day workweek is other people are working on that fifth day, so youB次元官网网址檙e getting email and youB次元官网网址檙e getting pulled in,B次元官网网址� Belanger says.

ALTERING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND EXPECTATIONS

B次元官网网址淧eople are realizing that while this might be an intriguing or interesting idea, thereB次元官网网址檚 probably some trade-offs,B次元官网网址� says Benjamin Granger, head of employee experience advisory services at Qualtrics. He says the companyB次元官网网址檚 research indicates concerns regarding customer frustration if staffing changes have an impact on response time.

Widespread adoption would have to reach critical mass, where companies believe they have to adopt a shorter workweek to compete in the workforce, he adds. And consumer behavior and customer expectations and services would need to be reshaped.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not even close to that yet,B次元官网网址� he says.

If itB次元官网网址檚 not a four-day workweek, there are other levers to pull when it comes to workplace flexibility, Granger says.

Those could include , like choosing the hours you want to work rather than the usual 9-to-5, or the ability to run errands during the workday.

FEW EMPLOYEES WOULD BE WILLING TO TAKE A PAY CUT

Less than 4 in 10 (37%) of the employees surveyed by Qualtrics would be willing to take a 5% or more pay cut for a four-day workweek . But nearly three-quarters (72%) of those surveyed said a four-day workweek would mean they would have to work longer days.

However, 10-hour days often arenB次元官网网址檛 child care friendly. And if a company offers to pay for only four days of eight hours each, it could indicate a shorter workweek might be the result of a company trying to reduce expenses.

CONSIDERING THE TRADE-OFFS

B次元官网网址淚 think there is a lot of work and research that an organization has to do before it pulls the trigger on this,B次元官网网址� Granger says.

A four-day workweek B次元官网网址� or other workplace flexibility B次元官网网址� might begin with a series of discussions. If there is interest on both sides of the payroll, Granger suggests a trade-off analysis: B次元官网网址淟ook statistically at the factors that people would be willing to trade off, and would it be worth it to them?B次元官网网址� If interest remains strong, the organization could run a pilot program with a small group of employees before a wider rollout.

If a four-day workweek isnB次元官网网址檛 in your near future, Belanger offers these ideas for employees to possibly seek B次元官网网址� and employers to consider:

B次元官网网址� Occasional extended weekends off. Belanger says this allows time away without the stressful B次元官网网址渨ork is piling up while IB次元官网网址檓 awayB次元官网网址� feeling during longer vacations.

B次元官网网址� A meeting-free Friday or a reduction in the number of meetings overall.

B次元官网网址� Email, instant messaging or texting hiatuses. B次元官网网址淭elepressureB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� the compulsion to quickly respond to work-related messages of any kind B次元官网网址� , Belanger says.

B次元官网网址淵ou need a couple of hours every single day where youB次元官网网址檙e wholly not working B次元官网网址� 100% not working,B次元官网网址� for mental health, she adds.

B次元官网网址擧al M. Bundrick Of Nerdwallet, The Associated Press