"Bosses, if you're struggling to get your people excited about AI, here's one idea: Embrace the four-day workweek. Sharing some of AI's promised efficiency gains with employees - by letting them work fewer hours, not just get more done - could help get workers on board with a technology that some fear might ultimately replace them, authors of a new book advocating for a shorter workweek told Business Insider."
"When it comes to AI, giving workers more time away from their jobs could make it more likely they'd get behind the technology "because they're getting part of that benefit," rather than standing in the way of it, he said. Joe O'Connor, Lindzon's coauthor, said that when it comes to discussions about AI in the workplace, the conversation among workers often turns to fears of job cuts."
"In an early 2025 survey of business leaders in eight countries from the IT company Kyndryl, 45% of CEOs said their workers were resisting the technology. "Cultural resistance and emotional friction" are the biggest impediments to AI adoption, Boston Consulting Group reported in 2025. That's unwelcome news for C-suite decision-makers eager to ratchet up efficiency. One in three companies is pumping at least $25 million into AI, according to BCG."
A four-day workweek can raise employee acceptance of workplace AI by converting some productivity gains into shorter work hours rather than only increased output. Offering four days of work for five days' pay can serve as a mechanism to share the rewards of innovation and reduce anxiety about job displacement. More nonwork time may make employees less likely to resist AI adoption. Surveys and consulting reports show substantial worker resistance and emotional friction around AI despite heavy corporate investment, with many firms spending millions to deploy AI technologies while facing cultural obstacles to rollout.
Read at Business Insider
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