Toyota Reportedly Considering Switching to a Four-Day Workweek
The move comes after Toyota workers are seemingly exhausted following a banner year for production and sales.
In recent years, numerous studies have found that the four-day work week could potentially be a better alternative to the traditional five-day work week, for a number of reasons. Those studies have discovered that workers tend to be not only happier with a shorter work week, but also, even more productive, which makes sense given the fact that many folks tend to mentally clock out for the weekend once Friday arrives anyway. This is precisely why Toyota is considering moving to a four-day work week as well, according to Automotive News.
Toyota is reportedly mulling a variety of ways to improve its working conditions as we look toward a quickly-evolving future, including a four-day week, it seems. Such measures are being considered “to develop systems and mechanisms to improve the working environment, aiming to create a workplace where everyone can feel a sense of growth,” a Toyota spokesperson said.
This concept is certainly nothing new, as various other companies have already moved to a shorter work week, citing a host of benefits associated with that rather large shift in philosophy. However, the proverbial wheels at Toyota apparently began spinning after 2023 was over, during which the automaker found that its employees were overworked and stressed out following a robust year for production and sales, and it led to some well-documented quality issues as well – something Toyota isn’t exactly known for.
As such, this past spring, Toyota CEO Koji Sato ordered company brass to consider ways to revamp its practices, which is notable in Japan – a country known for its grueling work culture. “Existing workloads should be reduced for the time being,” Sato said. “We should question whether a particular work is necessary or not. We might need to stop certain types.” Toyota brass likens such a move to “pulling the andon,” a term used to describe when assembly workers pull a cord to stop the line when a problem is spotted.
Thus far, Toyota has already explored pausing production at plants strategically in an effort reassess its situation, but it’s unclear if the automaker will implement a four-day work week at this point – or various other measures aimed at giving its workers some relief. However, it has set a goal of rolling out some sort of changes over the next 10 months, and if it does indeed wind up going that route, workers would wind up working more hours – 10 per day – to accumulate the standard 40 in each week.
Photos: Toyota, Lexus
Join the Club Lexus forums now!
