What if Saturday was the new Friday? It's a troubling thought, but a longer workweek is already a reality for some workers. Greece has allowed certain industries to move to a 48-hour workweek to boost productivity. And South Korean companies, like Samsung, are telling some executives to work on Saturdays or Sundays to help their business.
Now, with economic concerns growing in the US, some workers hoping for less time on the job may have to keep dreaming. And it may get worse - employees hoping to maintain or land remote roles may find that harder to achieve. The biggest threat, however, could be layoffs. Anxious CEOs eager to please Wall Street and their boards may decide to make sweeping cuts, like the ones recently announced by Intel.
The weaker-than-expected July jobs report, which is worrying investors, could give some employers cover to step back from a shorter workweek, remote work, and other measures aimed at improving employee well-being, according to labor-market experts.
Peter Cappelli, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, said there is a perception that some employers have used layoffs to force workers back into the office. He said bosses could use the latest economic news as a new reason to get tough with workers, even if their business is still doing well. "It's not about the reality as much as the perception," Cappelli told Business Insider.
While workers have gained some leverage in recent years, Cappelli said employers still hold most of the power. "Employees never really had much of an upper hand in the job market," he said. Workers could feel even less empowered if bosses' economic worries make them less accommodating.
Some major companies, like Starbucks and Diageo, are reporting that inflation is causing consumers to cut back on discretionary spending. This could make employers less inclined to try new approaches, like a four-day workweek, according to Cappelli. However, he doesn't think companies will push for a six-day workweek, calling that "a huge norm break."
Brigid Schulte of the Better Life Lab said that in times of uncertainty, leaders often want to revert to familiar ways of working, even if those weren't necessarily better. She warned that using economic worries to reverse course on flexible work or conduct layoffs can damage trust and morale, ultimately hurting the company. "You end up really damaging the trust and morale at your organization," Schulte said. "And, really, you're only as good as your people."