Years ago, in the membership department of a specialty medical association, dues payments were taken over the phone and each receipt was generated, attached, and emailed manually. (Yikes!) Considering how much technology has advanced and automated, it’s surprising how little progress has been made for the working humans driving our organizations and the fields we serve forward. Association teams have broad impact and can be the change needed in our world of work—for the association community and our industries at large.

Henry Ford popularized the 40-hour week in 1926. One hundred years is a long time to still be working the same 35 to 40-hour week, attempting to tackle the never-ending work that weighs many of us down. Executive leadership training has taught me that we were never meant to finish everything. Our purpose is to do our best, prioritize, recalibrate continually—and enjoy our lives away from our work even when it is mission driven and we are passionate about our purpose.

Leaders today can model the working environments of the future—demonstrating how progress, human well-being, and meaningful business results can advance together. The data shows what to do and how to do it.

Imagine if your team’s 2026 year-end reports could highlight improvements in turnover, retention, and workforce satisfaction, while also showing measurable progress on your board's priorities and strong business results.

There is help available for association executives to reach this goal! One leader in the space has helped over 2,500 organizations in 37 countries make the switch. Data from the 4DayWeekGlobal.com demonstrates it is possible, and consulting services are available to make it a reality.

In her 2025 book, Four Days a Week, bestselling author, leading sociologist and economist Juliet Schor explains how the new four-day schedule supports working families by creating more time for them to be together, prepare healthier meals, exercise, and enjoy leisure activities. We also know this recreational bonus promotes creativity and vitality that reduces sick days and improves employee performance.

The 50% increase in time off also creates grateful and loyal team members. Working with a coach or consultant to teach employees how to prioritize, what to postpone—or even eliminate —drives business productivity boosts so significantly that 92% of companies in one trial chose to continue the reduced schedule.

Meeting free Mondays and Fridays are no longer enough. Remote and flexible schedules fall short of providing the relief humans need to thrive in our modern world. Three consecutive days off or added flexibility to work 32 hours each week with full pay and full benefits is the proven path forward. Association leaders can accelerate this change by partnering with successful consultants and prioritizing human well-being to drive productivity and business results for our industries in 2026 and beyond.

Prior to beginning a nearly 20-year career working, volunteering, and serving in leadership board roles for mission driven associations, I had another path. Ten years were spent interviewing over 7,000 people as a recruiter at a cemetery, an art college, and a staffing agency—frequently working with association HR leaders to source talent. Those conversations helped me learn what to look for in a workplace—and were a master’s level crash course in what employees and employers seek in each other.

Advising breadwinners to change jobs and coaching working parents returning to school on how to pursue their dreams often exposed the raw, powerful drivers behind human wellness. These experiences also revealed the limits of our tolerance for less-than-optimal working conditions.

Beyond teaching me empathy and deepening my alignment with the working human, this work led me to commit to pursuing good leadership in my career and advocating for right progress and balance. I witnessed what exhaustion from challenging working conditions did to my candidates’ physical and mental health, family structure, and happiness, and I also learned something else — associations are one of the best places to find the work-life balance, compensation, benefits, and fulfillment we all seek!

For these reasons, candidates repeatedly sought association roles in the Washington, DC, market our staffing agency served. If that is what our industry was known for in the early 2000s, associations of today are strongly positioned to lead the global shift to the four-day week. Beyond this reputation, empathetic and wise leaders who are focused on the triple bottom line—profit, people, and the planet—in 2026 recognize the people piece will lead to the business results our associations need to deliver.

The rewards for associations and the leadership teams that successfully make this shift ahead of the curve will include increased retention, more competitive recruitment of the best talent, a healthier workforce using fewer sick days, and enhanced productivity. It is difficult to find any downside to prioritizing the human beings on our teams and their wellness, especially when it is proven to drive positive business outcomes. In fact, the data suggests it is an incredible strategic advantage.

One final point to consider: If a leader is looking to leave their mark, successfully converting your team to a four-day week with 50% more free time 100% pay, and full benefits is one of the best legacies imaginable.