Not many of us can think of a lot of positive results from Covid, but the four-day work week may be one. Wide scale disruption prompts innovation and compels creative problem solving. When you think of a four-day work week, immediately four long days of work are what come to mind. This is not necessarily what is required. Primary, a children’s clothing retailer, implemented a four-day (eight hour a day) work week when stress levels of its employees skyrocketed during the pandemic. The result has not included pay cuts or extended hours. Their attrition rate has fallen. Employees feel recharged on Monday. Pretty cool, huh? Kickstarter, Shake Shack and Unilever’s New Zealand unit have also adopted the schedule. The idea is not a new one, but was espoused in the past by former presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter. A stalled economy and recessions in the ‘70s and ‘80s, along with a corporate focus on efficiency and globalization, prevented its institution. Fewer work hours allow employees to experience work life balance, and to be present for child care and familial responsibilities. One drawback is a feeling of disconnect that arises from fewer shared hours of work between co-workers. However, programs can be implemented by HR and management that increase engagement and connection between workers. Even companies, like law firms that require workers to be present for a week’s entirety, can accomplish a reduced work week for their staff by staggering days off outside of the weekend. Mr. Pang, an organizational strategy consultant in Menlo Park, California shared, “[Four day work weeks] are buried under a whole bunch of rubble of outmoded practices and bad meetings. Once you clear that stuff away, then it turns out the four-day week is well within your grasp.”