Does a shorter workweek depend only on technology?

Many people believe that with more technology we will work fewer hours. The idea is old and appealing. But history shows that working hours do not depend only on machines and software: they result from choices and negotiations.

The question

If technology increases productivity, why does the workweek not shrink automatically?

The context

Productivity is how much is produced per hour worked. When it grows, there is a choice: produce more with the same hours, produce the same with fewer hours or a mix. No technology decides this alone. Throughout history, reductions in working hours came together with changes in laws, agreements between workers and employers and social expectations.

What influences working hours

• Laws and regulation. Limits on hours, mandatory rest and overtime rules set the floor.
• Collective bargaining. Unions and agreements between companies and workers can change hours in specific sectors.
• Economics. Wages, cost of living and competitiveness affect the possibility of working less without losing income.
• Work culture. In some places, long hours are seen as a sign of commitment, even when they do not increase results.
• Type of work. In-person services and time-based jobs respond to technology differently than production jobs.
• Distribution of gains. Who benefits from increased productivity, the company, the workers, the consumers, influences what is done with the time gained.

Experiments and discussions

In several countries, companies and governments have run trials of four-day weeks or reduced hours, with results that vary by sector and trial design. These experiments show that it is possible to reorganize work, but not that the outcome is the same in every context. It is worth checking the sources and details of each study before drawing general conclusions.

An example

A small agency tested a four-day week for six months. To make it work, it had to cut meetings, set priorities and make its service hours clear. The result depended more on these organizational changes than on a new tool. This is an illustrative example.

Putting it into practice

If you want to work fewer hours, technology can help, but it is also worth looking at processes: meetings, approvals, goals and communication. Some companies gain more time by cutting waste than by buying tools.

Conclusion

Technology creates possibilities; the decision about how to use them is human. A shorter workweek requires technology, but also agreements, rules and cultural change.