Large Company Is Mandating A 6-Day Work Week For All Executives To ‘Inject A Sense Of Crisis’ In Their Employees
Many companies don't realize that getting employees to work harder doesn't mean adding more days to a work week.
GaudiLab / Shutterstock Working the standard five days a week and 40 hours has become quite the struggle for many working-class Americans. Still, a large and well-known company has seemingly ignored the burnout crisis and decided their employees need to work longer.
Popular tech company Samsung recently announced that all of its executives will have to follow a new mandate requiring them to be in the office most of the week.
Samsung is forcing executives to work a 6-day week to 'inject a sense of crisis' in their employees.
According to The Korea Economic Daily, Samsung, a Korean company, has introduced a companywide six-day workweek policy for executives as the company attempts to address and devise emergency measures to tackle ongoing business uncertainty. This comes after a disappointing financial year in 2023, which included revenue of around $51 billion in last year's final quarter, down 3.8% year-on-year and down 2.2% compared with initial analyst predictions.
"Considering that performance of our major units, including Samsung Electronics Co., fell short of expectations in 2023, we are introducing the six-day work week for executives to inject a sense of crisis and make all-out efforts to overcome this crisis," a Samsung Group executive told the Korean outlet.
It's reported that Samsung executives can choose whether their sixth working day is on Saturday or Sunday. Many other executives began reporting to the office six days per week starting in January, and other Korean conglomerates are expected to follow suit in the coming months. Employees below the executive level will continue to work five days a week.
Sadly, this isn't abnormal for South Korean work culture. In 2022, the average Korean worker spent around 1,901 hours at their job, according to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
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In 2023, the country pushed a plan for a 69-hour workweek, which was only abandoned after opposition from young workers and labor unions. Despite this normal work culture in America and South Korea, this type of mindset has devastating consequences on a person's well-being.
Companies may think forcing employees to work more days during the week would increase productivity, but in reality, it only exacerbates burnout. According to research from Future Forum, of the 10,243 full-time desk-based workers polled in six countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, over 40% said they are burned out.
Most of this burnout is due to more demanding work days and poor enforcement of worker rights. There is this outdated stigma that people should be glad to work more because they will earn more money and make a name for themselves in the company they're employed for.
However, what's not taken into account is that more money and recognition don't make up for the fact that people are sacrificing their health for perceived success. They have no time for life outside of work and, therefore, aren't their best selves when they clock in to work.
An exhausted employee isn't a hardworking one. They won't get things done, they'll be more inclined to make mistakes, and they'll be less productive.
Most people have expressed an interest in a 4-day work week instead.
To combat the rising levels of burnout, many bosses and various companies, along with employees, have expressed a need for shorter work weeks. According to a survey from Bankrate, a majority of full-time workers and job seekers (81%) support a four-day work week versus a traditional five-day schedule. Of those workers, 89% said they would be willing to make sacrifices to work just four days.
Among those surveyed, 54% would be willing to work longer hours, and more than a third — 37% — would be willing to change jobs or industries. Meanwhile, more than a quarter — 27% — said they would be willing to come to their office or job location more days or work fully in person.
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Not only is there a demand for more flexible and shorter work weeks, but people are eager and willing to work toward achieving that. So much so that there have been companies that have already begun testing the 4-day work week. In a survey of CEOS conducted by KPMG, nearly one-third (30%) of large U.S. companies are exploring new work schedule shifts such as four-day or four-and-a-half-day workweeks.
The solution to getting more work done in less time is allowing people to have a healthy work-life balance. When employees are well-rested and afforded time outside of work for personal endeavors and activities, they, in turn, bring their best selves to the office. Happy employees are happy to work — it's a simple concept.
We need to eliminate this mentality that working harder means working more. It's about creating an environment where employees feel valued and respected as human beings.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.