The five-day workweek was first popularized by Henry Ford back in 1926, so it has taken nearly 100 years for a viable alternative to emerge in the form of some companies offering a four-day workweek.
There's not much from a century ago that's still as widely used as the 40-hour week, which is why four-day workweek supporters argue that shifting to a more progressive model is long overdue.
The trials and studies support them, suggesting that employees who work a day less each week are not only happier and healthier, but more productive as well.
With all that in mind, we've rounded up the latest and best four-day workweek job openings that are currently live in October 2023. They include vacant positions from established companies like Bolt, Kickstarter and Awin, alongside more roles at newer and more boutique-style organizations.
ThredUp
Online pre-loved clothing marketplace ThredUp started working a four-day schedule in 2020 as part of a one-year trial brought about by the pandemic.
A year later, it announced a four-day workweek would become a permanent fixture of life at the company, having noted improved employee morale and productivity during the pilot.
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The publicly traded company is already a big deal, especially among Gen Z shoppers, and appears to have an even brighter future ahead after recently announcing partnerships with global giant H&M, as well as the iconic department store Bloomingdales.
ThreadUp is currently advertising for a number of jobs, including:
- Data analyst (multiple vacancies)
- Software Engineer (multiple vacancies)
- Payroll Manager
- General Ledger Accountant
- Growth Marketing Specialist
You can learn more and see the full list of ThreadUp job vacancies currently going on the company's website.
Bolt
Fintech company Bolt successfully implemented a four-day workweek trial over a three-month period in 2021 and kicked off last year by announcing the switch permanent.
Employees and managers were both hugely positive about the trial: 94% of staff wanted the pilot to continue and 87% of managers said they felt productivity levels were maintained effectively.
Bolt also operates a “Remote First” policy when it comes to location and office attendance, so it's one of the most flexible employers around.
Here are the roles Bolt is currently looking to fill in October 2023.
- Lead Business Development Representative
- Senior Engineering Manager
- Senior Product Manager (multiple vacancies)
- Senior LLM Technologist
- Senior Site Reliability Engineer – NGC Cloud
You can learn more about them and apply on Bolt's careers page.
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is a household name and the crowdfunding platform is also one of the biggest companies to operate a flexible four-day workweek.
Of more than 900 global employees, Kickstarter says that “most” now work a four-day week after it kept the schedule following participation in the 4 Day Week Global six-month trial.
Chief strategy officer Jon Leleland told Employee Benefit News: “Work was taking a great deal of our time without much productivity. It just made sense to reduce the hours people were working.”
Whether you're a lawyer or a developer, there might be a four-day week job at Kickstarter for you, based on these live vacancies:
- Senior iOS Engineer
- Data Scientist
- Legal Counsel
- Senior Product Designer (multiple vacancies)
You can visit the Kickstarter job website to learn more about the roles and find out how to apply.
Wanderlust
The Wanderlust Group is an outdoorsy tech company that's been working a four-day week since 2020 and participated in some of the earlier studies about the practice.
In addition to operating a Tuesday-to-Friday week, Wanderlust is also fully remote, so it's a great fit for anyone who really values flexible working.
The company reported healthy profits and growth after implementing a four-day workweek, really highlighting that working more hours doesn't mean working more effectively.
Wanderlust has a couple of interesting job vacancies right now:
- Senior Manager, Software Engineering
- Senior Product Manager, POS
Find out more about these roles and The Wanderlust Group over at the company's website.
Awin
Awin is a global affiliate marketing platform that made its four-day “Flexi-Week” permanent earlier in 2023 after a successful pilot run.
The company knows that a four-day workweek is right for its business model, as it operated an extensive 18-month four-day week trial period including over 1,300 employees spread across 17 offices all over the world.
In addition to reporting growth in gross profits over the period, it also found that “regrettable employee turnover decreased by 33% and sick leave days decreased by 21%” during the trial.
Right now, these US-based Awin jobs are listed to be filled, alongside many more global vacancies at the company.
- Account Executive (multiple vacancies)
- New Business Operations Executive
Check out the Awin website to learn more about these roles or see what positions are going further afield.
DNSFilter
DNSFilter is an AI-driven cybersecurity company that went permanent with its version of a four-day workweek back in 2021.
The firm operates a rotating, shift-style workweek where employees work a 32-hour week followed by a 40-hour week. This combines to give customers five-day coverage, while employees get two three-day weekends per month as well as full salary and benefits packages.
It may not be quite as “complete” as the four-day week offerings of some other companies, but it works for DNSFilter.
The following jobs are currently listed on the DNSFilter website as being actively recruited:
- Backend Software Engineer
- Business Development Representative
- Senior Site Reliability Engineer
- Marketing Operations Manager
- Senior Product Marketing Manager
You can learn more and apply on the company's Workable jobs page.
