**Key Nuggets on the 4-Day Workweek Trend:**

- **Growing Adoption**: A clear upward trend is evident, with 65% of surveyed organizations having a four-day workweek for at least some workers in 2023, up from 50% in 2019.

This growth suggests increasing employer openness and experimentation across countries.

- **Productivity & Well-being Gains**: Substantial majorities—81% of workers in at least one survey—report that a 4-day week would boost productivity and improve work-life balance.

Positive impacts are especially noted in sectors where output can be decoupled from fixed hours (e.g., knowledge work).

Over 88% of employees already working a 4-day week cite improved professional lives, and large UK pilot programs saw 92% of firms continuing the model post-trial.

- **Employee Health and Satisfaction**: Reduced hours and/or flexible scheduling have been linked with improved mental health, less burnout, and greater job satisfaction.

Employees appreciate having more time for family, hobbies, and passions, supporting the narrative that “we work to live, not live to work.” Flexible arrangements, like "Flexible Fridays," also help curb burnout.

- **Implementation Challenges**:
    - **Business Size Matters**: Smaller firms may struggle with coverage or resources to offset reduced hours per employee.

Gradual or partial adoption may be more feasible.

- **Sectoral Differences**: Not all industries adapt equally; manufacturing and other in-person roles may find flexibility harder to implement compared to remote-capable fields.

- **Equity Issues**: There are risks of unequal access and increased work intensification if reduced hours are not met with real workload adjustments.

Hybrid models (e.g., flexible schedules or reduced daily hours) may better suit some preferences but not all.

- **Operational Continuity**: Some companies fear customer service or productivity drops, though many pilots refute this with positive results.

- **Cultural Shifts & Trust**: A successful transition to a 4-day week often requires greater mutual trust between employers and employees, rethinking long-held norms about presenteeism, and leveraging digital/remote work where possible.

The pandemic accelerated these cultural shifts.

- **Future Outlook**: While still relatively rare, 4-day weeks are gaining serious mainstream traction, especially with heightened emphasis on work-life balance post-pandemic and amid trends like the “Great Resignation.” Employee demand is driving employers to reconsider rigid scheduling—those unwilling may be less competitive in recruiting and retaining talent.

- **Summary**: The 4-day workweek, while not yet universal, is widely seen as beneficial for productivity, well-being, and employee engagement, with pilots showing high satisfaction.

Ensuring equity, business continuity, and sector suitability remain key challenges.

Gradual, flexible adoption and ongoing assessment are critical for scaling the model across diverse workplaces and regions.

**Summary Nuggets on the Global Trend Toward a 4-Day Workweek**

1.

**Acceleration from Pandemic Disruption:** The COVID-19 pandemic, especially with the spread of the Omicron variant, has delayed a mass return to traditional workplaces and fueled a push for new rules of working.

The crisis highlighted health and mental well-being as priorities, especially as burnout and resignations rose.

**Changing Attitudes to Work:** There is a growing perception of work as burdensome, spurring discussions on reducing working hours.

This is happening globally, albeit with local variations in attitude and feasibility.

**Productivity and Well-Being:** Experiments and surveys, especially in Europe (e.g., Germany, UK), show that a 4-day workweek does not necessarily harm company revenue or productivity.

Reported benefits include improved employee mental health, job satisfaction, and a better work-life balance.

**Business and Cultural Challenges:** Employers are wary of potential spikes in labor costs and decreased output.

Cultural resistance is significant—long-established norms assume a 5-day, 40-hour workweek, and reducing this may initially shock employees and disrupt established workflows.

**Implementation Issues:** Not all jobs or industries can easily adopt a 4-day model, especially roles dependent on continuous presence or shift work.

Large-scale change is complex and cannot be achieved by policy decree alone; it requires coordinated adaptation.

**Equity and Labor Market Considerations:** While some populations or sectors (e.g., some rural women, certain state-provided jobs) already experience adjusted or reduced hours, widespread adoption depends on economic preparedness and labor market conditions like worker shortages.

There are concerns about equitable access to reduced work schedules across job types and demographics.

**Employer-Employee Relations:** As employee well-being becomes a central concern, employers are expected increasingly to accommodate flexible or shorter working weeks to attract and retain staff, especially in competitive labor markets.

**Global Variation in Readiness:** While pilot programs and experiments are appearing, such as a 6-month 4-day workweek trial involving 70 companies, readiness differs sharply by country due to economic structure, societal expectations, and legal frameworks.

**Skepticism and Optimism:** Some officials and opinion leaders see the transition to a 4-day workweek as inevitable, while others caution that it’s not universally appropriate or urgent, particularly in countries where full employment or advanced automation has not been achieved.

**Incremental Change:** The move from five to four working days is considered a near-future possibility by some policymakers and researchers, suggesting that hybrid or flexible models will proliferate before full-scale adoption.

**In summary:** The 4-day workweek is gaining traction as a response to pandemic-driven reevaluation of work and mental health, with reported benefits around productivity and well-being.

Still, significant challenges exist around implementation, cost, equity, and tradition, meaning global adoption will be uneven and gradual, shaped by local context and industry.

**Nuggets on the 4-Day Workweek Global Trend and Its Impacts:**

1.

**Positive Results from Trials:**
   - Large-scale trials, particularly in the UK involving around 2,900 employees across 60+ companies, show the 4-day workweek boosts employee well-being and productivity.

- Companies maintained or increased profits, with revenues rising an average of 1.4% during trials.

- Over 90% of participating firms plan to keep or expand the shorter workweek.

**Employee Benefits:**
   - Workers report improved mental health, better sleep, and less stress.

- Lower rates of sick leave (down by 65%) and employee turnover/intention to quit (down by 57%) were observed.

- A shorter week supports a better balance between work and family life, enhancing overall well-being and job satisfaction.

**Sectoral Adoption:**
   - Health and technology sectors are prominent adopters, using the model to attract and retain top talent amid competitive labor markets.

- The trend is spreading to diverse roles and industries, from manual labor to professional services.

**The Broader Context of Work Intensification:**
   - Despite technological advances, work pressure has increased across occupations.

- The share of employees facing “tight deadlines” and high stress continues to rise, not just for high earners but especially among low-wage workers.

- Increased monitoring and workplace interruptions hamper focus and intensify the pace of work, regardless of output.

**Reduced Actual Productivity Time:**
   - Studies indicate that during a standard 8-hour day, employees may only be productive for about 3 hours, prompting advocacy for shorter daily or weekly hours.

**Policymaker and Legislative Interest:**
   - Legislative proposals, such as one in the US to reduce the standard workweek to 32 hours, aim to foster social justice, worker happiness, and a broader conversation about the future of work.

**Challenges and Considerations:**
   - Implementing the 4-day week is easier in some industries than others due to operational needs (e.g., healthcare may have scheduling difficulties, while tech or office roles transition more smoothly).

- Ensuring equity is crucial—such models risk benefiting higher-wage or salaried positions disproportionately unless tailored for broader workforce inclusion.

- Business continuity and client expectations must be managed to prevent service gaps and maintain operational effectiveness.

**Global Trend and Ongoing Experiments:**
   - Countries like the UK, Scotland, and Australia have run or are running major trials.

- Business interest is increasing worldwide, with media and academic attention reinforcing the momentum for broader adoption.

**Bottom Line:**
The 4-day workweek is gathering empirical support as a means to enhance productivity and well-being, though it presents industry-specific challenges and equity considerations.

Ongoing experiments and legislative efforts will shape whether and how this model can be widely and fairly implemented across global labor markets.

**Key Summaries on the Four-Day (3-days off) Workweek Trend:**

1.

**Origins and Rationale**
   - The "three days off" or four-day workweek concept was popularized by New Zealand entrepreneur Andrew Barnes, who was influenced by research showing low actual productivity within an eight-hour workday.

The idea is that both employers and employees mutually benefit from rethinking traditional schedules to maximize productivity and well-being.

**Employee Concerns**
   - Many workers are apprehensive about the risk of reduced pay with shorter workweeks and are uncertain about how to utilize extra free time, preferring familiar five-day patterns unless income and security are assured.

Many look to governments to provide policy direction or mandates regarding work hour reductions.

**Key Nuggets on the 4-Day Workweek Trend:**

- **Growing Adoption**: A clear upward trend is evident, with 65% of surveyed organizations having a four-day workweek for at least some workers in 2023, up from 50% in 2019.

Title:

Content: Four-day workweek’s popularity grew during the pandemic — survey

As companies scrambled during the COVID-19 outbreak to reorient their workplace procedures and processes, one idea that gained ground was a shorter workweek.

More businesses adopted a four-day week during the COVID-19 pandemic as the shift to remote working spurred a major rethinking of work practices, according to a poll of senior leaders at 500 UK businesses by the University of Reading’s Henley Business School.

The survey, an update to research from 2019, showed that 21% of respondents adopted a four-day workweek for all staff in 2021, up from 18% in 2019. The majority of respondents (65%) said a four-day workweek is in place for at least some of their workers, up from 50% who said that in 2019. A four-day workweek is defined in the report as involving a reduction from five to four workdays for the same pay or a compressed workweek with the same hours across four days instead of five.

Though a four-day workweek has gained popularity, the UK numbers are perhaps higher than expected; job posting site Indeed told Computerworld that less than 1% of job postings on March 11 included the term “four-day week,” for example. A Gallup survey of full-time U.S. employees in March 2020 — prior to the pandemic — indicated that only 5% put in four days a week, with the vast majority (84%) working five days (and 11% working six days each week).

That said, numerous organizations have adopted or trialled a shorter workweek for staff since the start of the pandemic, including firms such as Atom Bank, Bolt, Buffer, and Kickstarter. And pilot projects are under way in several countries, including the US, UK, and Spain.

Such projects are not new, of course; Microsoft launched a trial at its Japan offices in 2019 that resulted in higher productivity, for example, while the UK’s Wellcome Trust ran into issues around complexity with its own project the same year.

A shorter workweek has been talked about for decades, but a shift from the five-day, 40-hour week that has been the standard for over a century has so far failed to gain momentum.

What’s behind the recent interest in the idea? One reason is that the widespread, and largely successful, shift to remote work during the pandemic showed the benefits of a more flexible approach to work, said Rita Fontinha, associate professor in Strategic Human Resource Management at the University of Reading’s Henley Business School.

“The pandemic led to a situation where most firms were forced to implement remote work and this has accelerated previous discussions that we have been having over the last two decades on flexible working,” said Fontinha. “Working from home led to increased trust [between employers and employees] and awareness of other ways of measuring performance that go beyond presenteeism. The pandemic showed that flexibility works.”

Report highlights four-day week advantages

The Henley Business School survey pointed to several advantages for businesses that implemented a four-day workweek, including costs savings (66%), improved productivity (64%), better quality output from staff (64%), and  less-stressed workers (78%).

Improved employee wellbeing is connected to business outcomes too, said Jack E. Gold, founder and principal analyst at research firm J. Gold Associates.

“Keeping employees happy and motivated makes for far more productive employees, no matter what hours they work,” said Gold. “Maximizing employee productivity is a much more important way to gain business value than hours worked.”

Another benefit, noted by 68% of survey respondents that had adopted a four day week, involved hiring and retention. “People were less likely to take sick leave, people were more productive, and it was easier to attract new staff, and to retain them,” said Fontinha.

The so-called Great Resignation is also likely contributing to interest in a shorter workweek.

“What’s different now than prior to the pandemic is that we’re seeing a temporary spike in the difficulty that firms are having in hiring and retaining workers, and the four-day work week is a relatively easy benefit to extend to help ease the challenge in the short term,” said David Brodeur-Johnson, principal analyst at research firm Forrester.

A shorter workweek can mean challenges

The survey also highlighted several challenges around implementing a shorter workweek, though employer concerns have softened during the pandemic.

Among companies that did not offer a four-day week, 65% said they were worried staffing costs would outweigh any productivity benefits (though that number was down from 80%). The biggest challenge cited by employers was meeting customer demands (75%), while 70% thought a shorter week would be too complicated to manage.

Some companies may find a switch to a four-day week easier than others, said Fontinha. IT-focused firms are more likely to switch, she said, largely due to the relative ease with which tech worker output can be tracked in comparison with other roles. “Areas where we were less likely to see the four-day week were sectors that involve contact with customers, or healthcare, for example,” she said.

A shorter workweek is also more suited to companies with a relatively homogenous workforce in terms of job roles, she said, meaning large businesses with a diverse workforce may find a short workweek complicated to roll out. At the same time, the smallest companies might not have the resources to support the shift, said Fontinha, adding that there are steps all businesses can take to implement a four-day week, even if they are more gradual.

“Having this overnight shift to a four-day working week will be hard for smaller firms,” she said. “What we suggest is a progressive reduction in working hours, moving towards a four-day working week by assessing how things are going and how needs are being met, how productive people are.”

Even if the benefits outweigh the costs for many, businesses should consider their reasons for moving to a four-day week. While a shorter week provides clear benefits to work/life balance and employee wellbeing, Brodeur-Johnson warns against adopting a four-day week as a shortcut to improving employee experience. “[T]he science is clear that what really engages people is being able to make progress in meaningful work every day; to know that they can and are succeeding,” he said.

“Employee experience peaks when we can leave work knowing that we made a difference, and had a really good day," he said. "It also comes from having a supportive manager, a supportive team environment, and feeling recognized and seen uniquely for the work that we do.

“All of these things are much harder for businesses to do for their people, because it involves behavior changes, manager development, culture changes, deeper resourcing and more that a four-day work week won’t solve on its own.”

Copyright © 2022 IDG Communications, Inc.

7 inconvenient truths about the hybrid work trend
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This growth suggests increasing employer openness and experimentation across countries.

Title:

Content: WORK IT OUT |

Majority of workers in Ireland want four-day working week

“While the number of employers currently offering a four-day working week is still extremely low, this research suggests that this may change within the next 1- years with employees seeking more appealing and flexible working options.”

Laura LynottIndependent.ie

A massive 95pc of Irish workers approve of a four-day week, according to a new study.

However, only 3.5pc of workplaces have implemented or trialled a four-day working week.

Despite this, 81pc of workers said they believe a four-day working week will become a reality within the next 10 years, according to the survey by recruitment firm Hays.

Hays Ireland director Maureen Lynch said: “While the number of employers currently offering a four-day working week is still extremely low, this research suggests that this may change within the next 10 years with employees seeking more appealing and flexible working options.

“Since the emergence from the pandemic restrictions, employers have begun to reconsider the workplace environment. The switch to remote and hybrid working models has proven hugely successful.

"All professionals have embraced these new ways of working with the four-day working week becoming the latest idea to enhance employers’ differentiation from competitors.

“While the number of employers currently offering a four-day working week is still extremely low, this research suggests that this may change within the next 1- years with employees seeking more appealing and flexible working options.”

The recruitment company surveyed 973 employers and professionals across Ireland and found 73pc of employees would consider moving jobs for a shorter working week. This was a rise of almost 10pc on last year’s figure (64pc).

Only five pc said they would not leave their current role if the option presented itself in another organisation, while 22pc said it would depend on the opportunity.

The majority ( 81pc) felt a four-day week would become a reality within the next decade, with only 19pc stating they felt it would never occur.

Some 88pc of employees already working a four-day week said it has had a positive impact on their professional life. The same number felt it was beneficial to their personal life.

Of those surveyed, the majority said an additional day off would be beneficial, with 89pc believing it would have a positive effect on employee mental health and well-being.

While 59pc thought that working one less day would be beneficial for organisational productivity and one-third felt it would improve employee living standards. Almost half (47pc) thought it would have a benefit on talent attraction and retention.

However 51pc of employers said they are concerned about a potential impact on productivity of a standard four-day working week.

Almost the same number (47pc) said they were not prepared to switch to a four-day week for operational reasons, while 22pc said they could not consider it for financial reasons. Some 20pc of employers were concerned the change could increase pressure on staff.

Hybrid working for five days a week was preferred to a four-day week. Some 55pc of professionals said they would prefer hybrid working for five days compared to 45pc, who would choose to work a four-day week with every day spent in the office.

Most respondents (75pc) said that they would use the extra day for leisure time, including exercise and hobbies. Meanwhile 71pc would spend time on life administration, while 70pc would spend more time with friends and family. Some 44pc would use the time for self-development, such as learning a new language, and 21pc would volunteer.

Last month, the results of a six-month trial involving 61 companies in the UK revealed that 92pc opted to continue working four days when the trial had ended. Reported benefits were said to include improved employee well-being and work-life balance.

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- **Productivity & Well-being Gains**: Substantial majorities—81% of workers in at least one survey—report that a 4-day week would boost productivity and improve work-life balance.

Title:

Content: news

81% of workers say a 4-day week would make them more productive—especially in these fields

A majority, 81%, of workers say they'd be more productive if they were given the chance to work a four-day workweek, and it could be an even bigger boost for those facing high rates of burnout, according to new research.

The poll was conducted on Fishbowl by Glassdoor and considers more than 12,000 responses from U.S. professionals.

Workers in fields with notoriously high rates of burnout were the most likely to say they'd get more done if they were able to shift to a four-day schedule: health-care workers, teachers, and retail and hospitality professionals.

"There's an extensive body of research confirming a tight link between burnout and declines in labor productivity," Aaron Terrazas, chief economist at Glassdoor, tells CNBC Make It.

The burnout-productivity cycle is "vicious," he adds. Left unchecked, burned out workers are more likely to look for work elsewhere, and "when they do quit, that leaves more work for their remaining teammates who then risk further burnout."

Participants in global four-day workweek experiments say the new arrangement led to reduced burnout, as well as benefits for their health, finances and relationships. A majority of bosses rated their overall experience well, saying business performance and productivity remained high, revenue increased and turnover dropped.

So far, many conversations around the viability of a four-day week tend to center around office workers, though the Glassdoor data shows how scheduling flexibility — and in particular reduced working days — could benefit front-line workers.

"We should also keep in mind that, particularly for health care, we should not conflate a workday with an eight-hour 9-to-5 schedule," Terrazas says. "Many health-care workers are accustomed to working longer continuous hours from their medical training."

Meanwhile, those in legal, accounting and finance roles say a shortened week would not boost their productivity.

By gender, women (88%) were more likely than men (75%) to say they'd get more done from a shorter workweek.

"For many women, the expectation to juggle family and child-care responsibilities alongside their careers forces a rigorous focus on making the most out of every moment of their day," Terrazas says. "I suspect we're seeing a similar phenomenon here: Time constraints often force a ruthless prioritization of what matters most."

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Get CNBC's free Warren Buffett Guide to Investing, which distills the billionaire's No. 1 best piece of advice for regular investors, do's and don'ts, and three key investing principles into a clear and simple guidebook.

Check out: Congressman wants to make 32-hour workweek U.S. law to ‘increase the happiness of humankind’

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What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

The productivity  increased
The employees were happier

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Increase in productivity
Increase in work quality indicators

Positive impacts are especially noted in sectors where output can be decoupled from fixed hours (e.g., knowledge work).

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A Psychologist Explores The ‘Shorter Workweek Paradox’

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Have you ever wished you never had to work on a Monday? Your dream might be closer than you think. The concept of reduced working hours is gaining traction globally as organizations and governments recognize the detrimental effects of long hours on employees and employers.

This perspective is catalyzing a shift toward rethinking and reducing work hours to promote healthier life practices. For instance, the post-pandemic adoption of hybrid work models contributed to the understanding that a healthy work-life balance boosts employee satisfaction and productivity. Shorter workweeks can be achieved in different ways. For example:

  • Four-day week. Apart from the weekend, you are also given a day off on Monday or Friday.
  • Fewer daily work hours. You still have to work a five-day workweek, with a reduction in your daily working hours.
  • Half-days off. You are given two afternoons off in a five-day workweek.

What Are The Benefits Of Reduced Working Hours?

In several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and Spain, trials have been carried out to test the efficiency of shorter workweeks, highlighting the following benefits:

  1. Improved work performance. Shorter workweeks might encourage you to finish your work quicker and with fewer distractions. In 2020, Buffer, an American company, introduced four-day weeks. Based on their extensive trials, 34% of their employees felt more productive, resulting in Buffer permanently shifting to a four-day workweek in 2021. The reduced hours also incentivize you to be creative with your time and encourage efficiency. In their 2019 four-day workweek project, Microsoft Japan initiated collaborative online communication, reduced meetings to 30 minutes and limited meeting participants. Not only were the workers happier, they also experienced a 40% increase in productivity.
  2. Improved health and well-being. Having more time to recuperate from work can positively influence your well-being. A 2022 study found that upon reducing work hours to 30 hours per week, individuals experienced reduction in stress and sleep problems. A four-day week trial conducted in the USA and Ireland showed that employees experienced a 9% reduction in fatigue and 67% also experienced a drop in burnout levels.
  3. Higher life satisfaction. Shorter work hours and more free time tend to improve one’s perception of their life situation. A study in Sweden examined the effects of reduced work hours and canceled lunch breaks for nurses while retaining their wages. The participants reported greater life satisfaction and higher energy levels. “You get a life. I can say as much. You do get it, actually—it is unbelievable what a big difference these two hours make,” a participant explained.
  4. Better work-life balance. Reduced work hours can foster a healthy balance between work and leisure activities. A study found that reducing employees’ work hours while retaining their full pay led to positive work-life balance. They experienced more positive emotions before work, reduced work-related worries and improved relationships with partners, colleagues and their children.

While reduced working hours might seem like a revolutionary idea from afar, reality may be more complex up close. Which brings us to:

What Are The Potential Pitfalls Of Reduced Working Hours?

Here’s why ditching the time-tested five-day workweek needs to be considered carefully:

  1. Monetary issues. Some companies provide shorter workweeks with salary deductions. Employees might also face issues in wage regulations and overtime pay. These can adversely impact their living standards and savings. A 2022 study found that working reduced hours left 45% of individuals worried about having low future retirement income and 33% of individuals found it harder to make ends meet.
  2. Reduced employee bonding. The time crunch to complete tasks in less time can impede social aspects of the job. Some companies also shorten lunch breaks to compensate for missed hours. In such cases, employees rarely get to meet their colleagues and miss out on social interaction.
  3. Higher work pressure. Reducing work hours can increase strain on employees when implemented without foresight. A four-day workweek trial conducted in the UK found that work felt more intense for 36% of the employees. Forty-five percent of employees also felt that their productivity either remained the same as before or decreased in comparison.
  4. Short-term effects. Extensive research on reduced working hours has yet to establish its effectiveness in the long run. A 2022 Gallup survey revealed that the high well-being once associated with four-day workweeks leveled out to match that of the five-day workweek. Four-day workweeks also led to greater burnout than five-day workweeks.

Your desire for a shorter workweek is well-founded. However, initiating a conversation about reduced work hours with your team requires tact and consideration. You must engage in open dialogue, highlighting the potential benefits and addressing concerns to ensure a healthy consensus and eventually, a smooth transition to a work environment that accommodates diverse work styles.

Working less can improve your quality of life. It’s also important to find a “psychologically safe” workplace. Learn if your employer is meeting your needs by taking the evidence-based Psychological Safety Scale.

Over 88% of employees already working a 4-day week cite improved professional lives, and large UK pilot programs saw 92% of firms continuing the model post-trial.

- **Employee Health and Satisfaction**: Reduced hours and/or flexible scheduling have been linked with improved mental health, less burnout, and greater job satisfaction.

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

What did surveys conducted in London before and after the experiment of 4-day workweek  find?

What has a Gallup Poll found out about the prospect of 4-day workweek?

77% of American employees believe that it will have a positive impact on their health

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Increase in employee and customer satisfaction.

Employees appreciate having more time for family, hobbies, and passions, supporting the narrative that “we work to live, not live to work.” Flexible arrangements, like "Flexible Fridays," also help curb burnout.

Title:

Content: US Markets Loading... H M S In the news
HOMEPAGE

Email startup Front experimented with letting employees do whatever they wanted on Fridays and found it boosted recruitment, retention, and employee happiness

This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.

  • The email startup Front has been experimenting with "Flexible Fridays" to try to curb burnout.
  • Employees aren't expected to be online Fridays and can use the day however they wish.
  • Insider spoke with CEO Mathilde Collin about the lessons learned from the test in the past year.

Mathilde Collin thinks a lot about how to make work better.

As the CEO and cofounder of Front, a startup building software meant to change the way we use email and streamline customer communication and workplace collaboration, it's her product north star. But it's also something she's been thinking about beyond software.

As part of that, she and her fellow execs at Front started an experiment last May called Flexible Fridays, telling employees they weren't expected to be online or reachable by colleagues on Fridays. People could use the day however they wished, such as for catching up on work, spending time with family, or focusing on other personal needs.

"COVID accelerated a ton of trends and definitely accelerated one that led to us implemented Flexible Friday, which is, I believe, that people want more flexibility in how they work," Collin said.

While there were some initial hurdles, Collin said the experiment was a success that had helped the company recruit talent and increase headcount over the past year, with employee- and customer-satisfaction surveys showing people to be happier and more satisfied. Front is now making Flexible Fridays a permanent policy.

"We witnessed our fastest growth — both in headcounts and revenue — in the past year," Collin said. "So it's very hard to say because of this, we saw this. But at least what we see is engagement is high, business results are good, and people are really happy with the flexibility that was given."

The inspiration for the experiment came from Collin's conversation about the value of a four-day workweek with the founder of the French company Welcome to the Jungle.

"I love that companies are challenging the status quo," she said. "And I started thinking, what do I like about this? And what don't I like about this?"

Front's experiment is just one of many that companies are trying as workers everywhere continue to deal with burnout after two years of the coronavirus pandemic. Salesforce, for instance, has experimented with an "async week" in which employees are encouraged to cancel meetings. Flexibility and work-life balance are two of the top priorities many workers want from their employers.

Collin said she felt that a four-day workweek sounded good in theory but in practice would just force people to cram five days' worth of work into four. It also wouldn't address employees' desire for flexibility.

"It was super important for me that we kept both an insanely high bar on the candidate experience and the customer experience — also we kept an insanely high bar on our growth goals," Collin said. "But I believe that by implementing this you are free to do whatever you want on Friday. And it could yield really good results either because people have focused time to work or because they can take time for themselves when they need it."

In an employee survey soon after the experiment launched, 87% said Flexible Fridays had a positive impact on their desire to work at Front for the next two years. Eighty-nine percent said they "work happier because of Flexible Fridays." Additionally, 63% of new hires said Flexible Fridays influenced their decision to join the company. And Front says its Customer Satisfaction Score has averaged 98.60% since July.

That's not to say there weren't challenges. After the first few months of the experiment, employees weren't seeing collaboration improve, and the surveys reflected that. Front's human-resources team studied the data to see which teams weren't seeing positive results and whether there were ways to change or alter processes.

One struggle was how to handle customer requests on Fridays. For instance, if a customer wanted to upgrade its plan, it needed to be approved by the finance team, but that was difficult on Fridays because the sales team couldn't expect a response from the finance team on the request.

"It's not like we implemented it and overnight every team was successful in implementing this," Collin said. "It took a lot of back-and-forth and processes. And of course, the way to make it work in finance is different from recruiting, is different from engineering, is different from sales."

For many teams the solution has been to have a rotating on-call schedule, in which someone is assigned to handle any urgent matters on Friday. It's similar to the way tech companies have engineers on call on weekends to handle service disruptions or other emergencies.

They'll continue to collect input from employees and evolve the program as needed, especially as Front has doubled its employee headcount to 600 from 300 in the past year. Collin credits that in part to this new policy, which she says is a selling point for the company during recruitment.

She says the benefits of the program have outweighed any short-term hiccups.

"Being able to see the business momentum that we've had, I think really confirmed the fact that productivity is not just the proxy of the number of hours worked," she said. "It matters how you get this work done. It matters how healthy you are as an individual."

Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pzaveri@insider.com or Signal at 925-364-4258. (PR pitches by email only, please.)

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What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

What did surveys conducted in London before and after the experiment of 4-day workweek  find?

54% of employees had better balance of work and home responsibilities

- **Implementation Challenges**:
    - **Business Size Matters**: Smaller firms may struggle with coverage or resources to offset reduced hours per employee.

What challenges will the companies with diverse workforce have for implementing 4-day workweek??

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

What companies are adopting 4-day workweek?

Mainly nonprofit and small tech companies under 1,000 employees

Gradual or partial adoption may be more feasible.

What challenges will the companies with diverse workforce have for implementing 4-day workweek??

Complicated to roll out for large companies

- **Sectoral Differences**: Not all industries adapt equally; manufacturing and other in-person roles may find flexibility harder to implement compared to remote-capable fields.

Title:

Content: Linsay Moran On How We Need To Adjust To The Future Of Work

Flex time in a way that hasn’t been explored before. This will require trust between employees and employers. Working from remote locations and embracing the digital nomads who are contributing to work, but from a different location, and seeing that as a benefit, not a challenge. When it comes to designing the future of work, […]

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Flex time in a way that hasn’t been explored before. This will require trust between employees and employers. Working from remote locations and embracing the digital nomads who are contributing to work, but from a different location, and seeing that as a benefit, not a challenge.

When it comes to designing the future of work, one size fits none. Discovering success isn’t about a hybrid model or offering remote work options. Individuals and organizations are looking for more freedom. The freedom to choose the work model that makes the most sense. The freedom to choose their own values. And the freedom to pursue what matters most. We reached out to successful leaders and thought leaders across all industries to glean their insights and predictions about how to create a future that works.

As a part of our interview series called “How Employers and Employees are Reworking Work Together,” we had the pleasure to interview Linsay Moran.

Linsay Moran is the Co-Founder of Unwrapit, a digital gifting platform on a mission to help companies break free from the conventional thinking that surrounds corporate gift giving. An operational leader, committed to social impact businesses, Linsay had a career as an events director and more recently, played a key leadership role in a rapidly scaling engineering company prior to co-founding Unwrapit. Linsay is passionate about supporting, mentoring and amplifying women, in all stages of their career.

Thank you for making time to visit with us about the topic of our time. Our readers would like to get to know you a bit better. Can you please tell us about one or two life experiences that most shaped who you are today.

Thanks for the opportunity to connect!

It was one decision that defined two of my most significant life experiences.

At the age of 23, a fresh university graduate, I decided to pack my bags and move to London to work and live for a short period of time. My intention was to live in London for 6–8 weeks and spend a few additional weeks travelling throughout Europe.

The decision to embrace this “life experience” taught me a lesson, one that continues to shape who I am today. The lesson was fairly cliché and a variation on “things don’t always work out as you plan and as a result, stay open to opportunities”. Upon arriving in London I secured a short-term role as a PA (personal assistant). They needed someone in the position full-time but the agency placed me temporarily as they worked to secure their candidate.

Within a week the Founder/Owner of the business told the agency to cease the search and asked me to take on the full-time position. I would have never applied for the role, thinking I didn’t have the qualifications (nor did I plan to stay in London long-term). Instead, I demonstrated my ability to learn, leaned into my “roll up the sleeves” approach and realized it was something I could be good at. I went on to work for that company for about a year and learned so much about the corporate events industry in the UK.

During that time I understood the concept that life truly is too short. Just a few days after landing in the UK, I found out that one of my closest friends had been diagnosed with breast cancer at age 24. She fought for her life but in the end she passed away just five short months after diagnosis.

When I came back to Canada I was determined to do something in her honour. It led me to the world of nonprofit organizations and I’m grateful for that experience. I had the opportunity to work with individuals who had careers rooted in giving back. I learned an incredible amount in just a few years with strong leadership who took a chance on me and pushed me to get outside of my comfort zone and take on challenges I may not have initially felt prepared for . I try to do the same for other new team members as I recognize how much this shaped me.

Let’s zoom out. What do you predict will be the same about work, the workforce and the workplace 10–15 years from now? What do you predict will be different?

Work will always play an important role in an individual’s life, by its very nature. But the notion of someone being defined by their work is shifting and changing. Life is full of uncertainties, especially during a global pandemic. And for many, the last two years have proven that nothing is permanent. This has been an awakening for many.

I think (hope) that individuals will still find meaningful relationships at work. With colleagues that they learn from and grow with. And there will of course be challenges that run alongside that. “Office politics” will still play a role in a virtual or in-person world with new challenges to overcome.

Another thing that is the same and evolving further is the idea that “work” isn’t just confined to your job or an office. People are connecting through LInkedIn, networking organizations and events in a way that they might not have before.

Additionally, I was chatting with our newest team member (Awurakua Anim) about this question and she offered some great insights regarding what would be different. Her objective view is interesting, as someone recently graduated from University and new to the workforce. We talked about companies further investing in their team and prioritizing transparent, employee-focused, policies. We saw this recently with the #showusyourleave movement that rocketed around LinkedIn over the last few weeks. She also noted that companies, our own included, need to further invest and prioritize building systems around their internal and external processes. And that this is particularly important when someone first starts a new role.

And of course, the shift to remote work will continue to drive innovation in tech platforms that connect people and teams. The tools available to us, many developed over the last two years, are allowing for efficiencies at work and fostering better remote connections. Something that most of us wouldn’t have thought was possible just a few years ago. I am not afraid to admit that I was guilty of thinking that an office and a company was defined by four walls and in-person presence. I also acknowledge that some companies will choose to be primarily in-person and bound by four walls. They’ll do this for a handful of rational reasons and it will be a reflection of their culture. We’re not sure at Unwrapit where we’ll land on the fully remote/fully in-person spectrum but we are open and flexible in our approach to it.

What advice would you offer to employers who want to future-proof their organizations?

Think bigger about employee attraction, engagement and retention. Gone are the days of providing great perks and calling it a day.

Many people want to do something that matters. And they want to do it for companies that care about them and their professional growth and personal well-being.

Whether companies like it or not, the next decade is going to require a wholesale transformation of how they do business in order to avoid runaway global warming. And the companies that understand that and get behind it with commitments to organizations like 1% for the Planet and BCorp, will attract talent that understand the importance of putting people and the planet first. With the climate crisis becoming more of a priority for consumers and employees, companies can’t afford to give lip service to sustainability.

On the employee side, creating an “open” environment, free of fear is critical. Where innovative conversations are encouraged and growth and learning are the result, without uncertainty for how it will be received. People want to know that their contributions matter. And that even if their ideas are not spot on this time, if they’re well-thought out and astute, they may be right for another moment.

What do you predict will be the biggest gaps between what employers are willing to offer and what employees expect as we move forward? And what strategies would you offer about how to reconcile those gaps?

As we continue to shape and create the new normal of remote work, we’ll continue to shape and create what is considered to be part of that reality. This will mean different things to different people. And it will mean different things to different sectors of the workforce. It will be imperative that employers don’t “paint all with the same brush” and assume that one policy or plan will work for everyone, or even everyone within one part of their team.

In order to minimize any gaps, or frankly, to even see that there are gaps in the first place, a company and its leaders need to operate with empathy towards their employees.

A recent Forbes article stated it like this, “According to the Harvard Business Review, businesses that put empathy and emotional intelligence ahead of everything else out perform other businesses by 20%. When a leader lacks empathy, everyone keeps their guard up and protects their own self-interest. This means employees don’t share ideas, issues or problems and leaders learn of their employee’s unhappiness only when that employee is walking out the door.”

Employers will also need to reconcile with:

Which roles can be fully remote & which ones can’t due to their nature

And, that hybrid work means different things to different people, there’s a risk of delivering the worst of in-person and the worst of virtual by combining the two and trying to please everyone (per a recent NYT article). We’re going to see more adjusting and revising of policies as hybrid and remote work become more common. Ultimately, we may end up going back to in-person events and offices, and instead, adopt a four-day workweek.

More companies are coming on board with the four-day workweek which is picking up popularity. As it does, it means that companies will need to shift the meaning of what a workweek looks like and how to make employees feel comfortable. This also means different things for different industries. There may be a gap in expectations for employees who want the four-day workweek but are drawn to companies that have chosen to stick with the five day work-week (or have to as a result of their sector). What that means is drawing clear boundaries, rules and expectations around a new, proposed work-week. As a result of tighter work schedules, employees will become better at emailing less, fewer meetings, and prioritizing their work and focusing on that work. There are plenty of success stories out there that support the four day work-week and prove that it alleviates a significant amount of stress for employees who now have more time to focus on their hobbies, families, and personal time.

We simultaneously joined a global experiment together last year called “Working From Home.” How will this experience influence the future of work?

This was another one that I talked to my new (younger!) colleague about and we both agreed that it was quite the experiment. The first words that came to her mind when I asked her this question were, “Flexibility and productivity, with a mutual shared experience of resilience.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Despite the significant efficiency we’ve found in many areas of this “experiment”, we’ve also proven that it can be tough to replace authentic, face-to-face connections with colleagues, if only for the purpose of getting to know one another better. But the world of work (and therefore the future of work) has changed materially and so have our collective expectations of it. We have experienced a blurring of lines, the convergence of our work and home and the reality that one can affect the other. We see individuals becoming more comfortable with this nuance, talking about it on LinkedIn and unapologetically showcasing kids and pets and partners on screen.

And related to that, I think we’re all worrying less about where a person lives and more about what they can bring to the business. Distributed teams will be the norm, not the anomaly as we go forward. We’ll focus less on time at our desks and more on execution and ideas. .

It must be said that we are talking about a specific subsection of businesses and employees as not all sectors will be affected in the same way. For example, those in manufacturing will still go to their job each day in person. And therefore the “future of work” may not look that different to all.

We’ve all read the headlines about how the pandemic reshaped the workforce. What societal changes do you foresee as necessary to support a future of work that works for everyone?

A mental shift as alluded to earlier. Individuals are less defined by their jobs and more so defined by their place in the world. The pandemic forced a pause for many people and it also shone a light on some or our biggest cracks. Childcare. Healthcare. “Hustle culture”. And more. It will be many years before we fully comprehend the collective impact of all of these things.

What is your greatest source of optimism about the future of work?

That two years into this “experiment” so many companies are thriving in the new paradigm and it’s allowed people additional flexibility and the opportunity to focus on quality over quantity.

Our collective mental health and wellbeing are now considered collateral as we consider the future of work. What innovative strategies do you see employers offering to help improve and optimize their employee’s mental health and wellbeing?

This will be the biggest hurdle to overcome , but I don’t think that it’s entirely on employers. Of course, they have an important role to play. Generally individuals that take better control of their own mental health and if they are also supported by their employers, create a winning strategy.

Perhaps controversially, I might note that the old saying, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t force it to drink” is applicable in this instance. An employee needs to feel that there are supports in place and feel safe enough in their role to make use of them. But they also need to take responsibility for their own wellbeing (and ensure that they take the drink!).

Through Unwrapit we’ve seen employers embracing some unique strategies including ‘just because’ that includes health and mental wellness gift options. We’ve worked with a vendor who offers remote wellness for teams and she’s used our platform to enhance the experience by adding a fun “lunch on us”. We’ve also seen employers investing in significant mental health support and offering training for things like JEDI if that’s of interest to their teams.

It seems like there’s a new headline every day. ‘The Great Resignation’. ‘The Great Reconfiguration’. And now the ‘Great Reevaluation’. What are the most important messages leaders need to hear from these headlines? How do company cultures need to evolve?

I stated it above and I think it’s worth noting again. For many, the “Great Reevaluation” is about where they are putting their energy, and what they are prioritizing. Many people are asking themselves, is this a company that only cares about the bottom line and keeping their shareholders happy at the end of the fiscal year? Or a company that has a healthy bottom line, happy shareholders, and puts people and planet first.

It isn’t a stretch to understand that the latter is where most people want to work, and as we’re seeing with the Great Resignation, more people have more choices. Employers that don’t see this message in the current shifts taking place will be challenged by high turnover and burned out, unhappy employees.

Let’s get more specific. What are your “Top 5 Trends To Track In the Future of Work?”

  1. Empathetic tech — It’s no longer enough for online tools and services to be functional. Every generation inevitably spends more time on digital. We are now reaching the point where online is the norm, and people are forming their communities and identities within digital environments. This means that the tools we build as technology companies need to adapt to the human aspects of online communities and identities. Just like the progression we’ve seen in architectural design — from the brutalist and modernist mid-20th century buildings to the empathetic and human-centered design of the 21st century –tech companies have to employ empathy to make it comfortable and enjoyable to use tools online.
  2. Putting people and planet first — BLab (the certifying body behind the BCorp Certification) has seen an incredible increase in applicants throughout the pandemic. It seems that the movement has sparked, and companies understand the value of a designation like this. Further, we’ve had job applicants approach us using the 1% for the Planet Membership Database as a “ job search portal”, focusing only on companies who have sought out and completed their certification.
  3. Flex time in a way that hasn’t been explored before. This will require trust between employees and employers. Working from remote locations and embracing the digital nomads who are contributing to work, but from a different location, and seeing that as a benefit, not a challenge.
  4. Parental support. #shareyourleave was a great recent example of this, providing better support to working parents and in particular, women, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
  5. Recognition (done the right way). This isn’t the old school way of recognizing teams. It’s about meeting people where they are, providing them with choice, making it spontaneous sometimes.

I keep quotes on my desk and on scraps of paper to stay inspired. What’s your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? And how has this quote shaped your perspective?

“Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.” — (Deborah Day)

I am always a work in progress. I’ve made mistakes, I think it’s healthy to accept that. I used to say I was a recovering perfectionist but I think I am now recovered (for the most part). I now embrace “progress over perfection” and recognize that in order to move things forward, sometimes it just has to be good enough. I had someone that really pushed me out of my comfort zone on this, and I’m grateful to him for the mindset shift.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He, she, or they might just see this if we tag them.

I’d love the opportunity to connect with Alexis Ohanian. Right front and centre, first line of his personal site he makes this statement, “I’m a technology entrepreneur and investor. I want to be known for making this world better — much better.” And he means that. It’s clear by his actions. We want to do the same thing! It would be amazing to talk to him. He offers his number on the site — maybe I should just text him!

Our readers often like to continue the conversation with our featured interviewees. How can they best connect with you and stay current on what you’re discovering?

We’d love for people to follow us on LinkedIn! We’re active there and talk about social impact, corporate gifting, leadership and much more!

Thank you for sharing your insights and predictions. We appreciate your time and wish you continued success and good health.

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What did Labor economist Jonathan Boys say about 4-day workweek?

Food and beverage industry may face more problems.

- **Equity Issues**: There are risks of unequal access and increased work intensification if reduced hours are not met with real workload adjustments.

Hybrid models (e.g., flexible schedules or reduced daily hours) may better suit some preferences but not all.

- **Operational Continuity**: Some companies fear customer service or productivity drops, though many pilots refute this with positive results.

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Increase in employee and customer satisfaction.

- **Cultural Shifts & Trust**: A successful transition to a 4-day week often requires greater mutual trust between employers and employees, rethinking long-held norms about presenteeism, and leveraging digital/remote work where possible.

What are the challenges of 4-day workweek?

To ensure employees didn't fall back into old work mindsets or habits.

The pandemic accelerated these cultural shifts.

- **Future Outlook**: While still relatively rare, 4-day weeks are gaining serious mainstream traction, especially with heightened emphasis on work-life balance post-pandemic and amid trends like the “Great Resignation.” Employee demand is driving employers to reconsider rigid scheduling—those unwilling may be less competitive in recruiting and retaining talent.

- **Summary**: The 4-day workweek, while not yet universal, is widely seen as beneficial for productivity, well-being, and employee engagement, with pilots showing high satisfaction.

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

The productivity  increased
The employees were happier

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

What did surveys conducted in London before and after the experiment of 4-day workweek  find?

54% of employees had better balance of work and home responsibilities

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Increase in employee and customer satisfaction.

Ensuring equity, business continuity, and sector suitability remain key challenges.

Gradual, flexible adoption and ongoing assessment are critical for scaling the model across diverse workplaces and regions.

What challenges will the companies with diverse workforce have for implementing 4-day workweek??

Complicated to roll out for large companies

**Summary Nuggets on the Global Trend Toward a 4-Day Workweek**

1.

Title:

Content: 16 +
More news
More surveys
With the advent of new technologies and the introduction of digitalization, labor relations should be accompanied by processes of reducing labor time.
Why it is difficult to make predictions about the introduction of the “four-day ” in Russia
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs Yaroslav Nilov said that the transition to a four-day working week is “a matter of the near future. ”
Candidate of Economic Sciences, President of the Association of Managers and Specialists in Human Resources Management of the Sverdlovsk Region, Head of the Department of Labor Economics and Human Resources Management of USUE Svetlana Dolzhenko explained what work schedule is optimal for most people, and why it is difficult to make predictions about the introduction of a “four-day ” in Russia.
In the Labor Code of Russia, the schedule of work is regulated by 91 articles, according to which the normal duration of the working week cannot exceed 40 hours.
This is due, among other things, to numerous scientific studies on the organization of work and the formation of a balance between work and personal life.
The logic is simple: time to rest should be enough to restore strength for subsequent effective activities.
At the same time, there are several options for working hours: for example, two after two, five-day and six-day working weeks or an incomplete one.
The idea of a four-day work week is not new.
Back in the twenties of the last century, Henry Ford, the founder of the automobile company, realized that well-rested workers work more productively.
At the moment, a reduced work schedule is successfully practiced abroad.
For example, Perpetual Guardian insurance company in New Zealand introduced a 32-hour work week a few years ago.
According to the results, workers not only manage to do the same amount of work in four days as in five, but also become more motivated (by 24%), and productivity increases by 20%.
Another example is Microsoft Japan.
There, with the introduction of a four-day work week, productivity increased by 40%.
For enterprises in Japan, this case is especially important, since it is in this country that the term “karoshi ” means death from processing.
Since the 1950s, Japan has become a benchmark for hard work around the world.
Japanese companies offered workers a lifetime job guarantee and high wages in exchange for irregular working hours and loyalty to superiors.
And business leaders got what they wanted — incredible productivity gains.
But over time, these conditions led to the opposite effect, people were too tired and could not perform their work qualitatively.
In Russia, the proposal to switch to a four-day working week was first put forward in 2019 at that time by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev.
At the moment, making predictions about the reduction of the working week is quite difficult.
While the deputies did not present the bill, it is not clear how exactly it is proposed to change the regime: an 8-hour working day from Monday to Thursday or a weekly workload of 40 hours will be distributed over four days - a 10-hour working day will be introduced.
And in addition, it is not clear what will happen after the innovations with the salary - will be reduced in proportion to a decrease in the amount of time worked or will remain at the same level?
It is only obvious that with the advent of new technologies and the introduction of digitalization, labor relations should be accompanied, as they were centuries ago, by processes of reducing labor time.
This requires more flexible labor legislation, which in turn will definitely lead to an increase in labor productivity.
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**Acceleration from Pandemic Disruption:** The COVID-19 pandemic, especially with the spread of the Omicron variant, has delayed a mass return to traditional workplaces and fueled a push for new rules of working.

Title:

Content: "Stop looking at the crystal ball": in the world of work, you need to adopt new rules of the game
What to expect in 2022 from the world of work?
At the moment, it is difficult to predict something, and experts point out that with the beginning of the third year of the pandemic, workers still have to face unprecedented difficulties.
Moreover, the return to full-time work begins to seem more and more unreal, reports BBC Worklife.
Two years ago, when the pandemic began, many businesses began to organize work remotely.
The idea was - "so far remotely, but then everything will return to the rolled rails."
But the spread of the omicron strain delayed the plans of millions of workers to return to the workplace.
In addition, the activities of enterprises and the labor market have so adapted to the “new reality ” that a return to“ normal work before the pandemic ” seems increasingly unrealistic.
However, we still don ’ t know what or how will affect the way we work.
Last year, on January 5, people hoped that 2021 would bring some stability or strengthen the hybrid model of work.
Somewhere it worked, but somewhere it did not, as there were new variants of the virus, as a result of which it is too early to talk about stability.
The situation often changes and it is difficult to find a point of reference that would allow us to say where we will be in 12 months.
Experts who study the labor market and employment have found several trends that have already been outlined quite clearly.
This can be considered topical issues in the world of work this year, which will determine its future.
Shortened work weeks may be relevant
The call for shorter working weeks and a more concentrated work schedule is gaining ground in the world.
Many companies and even governments are already experimenting with various alternative work schedules.
We need to change the way we work and the way we work.
The standard 40-hour working week “from 9 to 5 ” was introduced back in the days of the Industrial Revolution about 200 years ago.
This was the last time the work schedule changed.
It is no longer effective in the long run, as our work has become more intense, thanks to new video conferencing technologies and the Internet, ” says Abigail Marks, a professor at the Newcastle University School of Business.
“Those in business and politics should take into account all aspects of how not to overload workers, while at the same time thinking about maintaining or increasing productivity.
This decision often comes in the form of a four-day work week.
Work that is concentrated in a shorter period of time and more free time is good news for the mental health of workers and the balance between personal and work life, ” says the professor.
Although it looks that this idea in 2022 may receive even greater support, this model of work, unfortunately, will not suit all workers.
Marx recalls that switching to a four-day working week may be convenient for individual office workers, but not for all workers.
“A four-day work week may be the privilege of a limited group of white-collar workers.
Such a change in labor policy will not affect low-paid labor in any way.
You also need to take into account the specifics of the work: in the field of IT and many other services, a four-day work week is virtually impossible, ” says Marx.
Therefore, she points out that in 2022, the main challenge will be finding a middle ground between those workers who can enjoy an elastic work schedule and those who do not.
“This way we can come to a fragmented labor market.
As long as various office workers and important officials can enjoy fewer hours of work, for others, especially health care workers, this will not even be possible in theory, ” says the expert.
Different benefits as the main way to attract employees
In 2021, there were not enough workers around the world.
This problem is not going anywhere, and in 2022 it will also create new problems.
According to Allison Sullivan, manager of corporate communications at Glasdoor, this is because "the factors that create this problem will not disappear as the pandemic and the growing demand for food delivery continue to be around."
This means that employers will be forced to change tactics when hiring new employees, as well as have to think about how to keep those who are already working.
The methods that helped before the pandemic are no longer going to help.
Associate Professor Anthony Klot of the University of Texas pointed out that this year a popular trend was a personal approach to each potential and actual employee.
"In 2022, we will see employers pay more attention to the interests of employees to improve relationships with those who are already working, as well as attract new professionals," Klot said.
This is not only the basis of good business performance – elasticity and employee care is becoming a major advantage, and more and more workers expect this from their employers.
Sullivan argues that workers will also become more demanding, so the employer must be willing to provide everything necessary to ensure a comfortable working environment.
As a result, companies will have to develop "personalized tactics of personnel organization.
Instead of a one-size-fits-all program, companies will have to take care to give each employee an individual approach, ” says Klot.
Sullivan points out that a personalized approach can be expressed in salary increases, or, for example, in helping with loan repayment, or extended maternity leave.
Another important nuance is to determine the mental health of an employee as a priority.
After all, burnout last year was a major problem for many companies, and more people are leaving their jobs, or thinking about it.
“Even bastions of career and work like Wall Street are beginning to act and changing the culture of work, focusing more on workers than just performance, ” says Klot.
Employees will not return to the same office.
When some (not all) workers finally return to work in the office - this year, or later, it will have to be concluded that the "new normal" office will not be like the one we have seen before.
Nicholas Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford University, points out that companies will adapt jobs to all the requirements of hybrid labor, taking into account how people actually want to work.
Bloom, who has been studying the future of office work for many years, points out that the days that all employees will be in the office will be rare.
When they do, it will be unusual and even uncomfortable.
He pointed out that he had heard “horror stories about employees who have to go to an office where there is an unusual silence. ”
In other words, such work in the office, as before the pandemic, will remain in the past.
More and more companies are introducing a hybrid model in their work, where individual employees are sent to the office and the rest remain at home.
Under this model, offices are also adjusted, where everything is now equipped so that it is possible to comply with all the requirements of epidemiological safety.
"Separate meeting rooms, small soundproofed rooms for video calls, as well as free choice of workplace.
Employees no longer like being in the crowd.
Therefore, offices adapt to this by providing employees with a convenient and accessible environment where there is enough space to meet colleagues in person, ” Bloom said.
Another important thing is the need for office space itself.
Experts point out that the need for offices will not disappear, and their area will not change.
Although it is expected that the number of hours worked on site will still be 30% less than before the pandemic, companies are not going to reduce the area of   their offices.
“While the hybrid model, where we work both remotely and on-site, will be relevant, the office will remain an integral part of the job. It ’ s impossible to imagine a job without a specific base, ” says Bloom.
The Road to the Unknown Continues
Although man by nature tries to make predictions and hope for the best, much is still almost unclear.
The main thing is that we don't know - what exactly we don't know.
At the beginning of the pandemic, many analysts predicted that a return to office work would largely happen by the summer of 2021, when vaccines became publicly available.
However, this deadline continues to be pushed back to the future.
Delta- and omicron strains of the coronavirus cause concerns about public health, so plans to return to the office continue to be delayed.
“What we ’ ve learned over the past two years is to stop looking at the crystal ball, ” said Canina Blanchard, a professor at the University of Western Ontario.
There are things that give hope for a return to “normal life before the pandemic, ” such as vaccines, coronavirus medications, and a short period of self-isolation.
But we know that there are many unknowns in the future (a good example is the omicron, which unexpectedly changed the plans of many companies).
We also do not know what to expect from the future, as everything can change in an instant.
Therefore, with forecasts and hopes for 2022, you need to be careful.
Especially when it comes to returning to “normal life. ”
It is very possible that the "new normal" situation is the rules of the game that we must accept.
“What we clearly know is that in 2022, as in the previous two years, the most important thing will be health and its preservation.
Life will still be very chaotic and even abnormal, "Blanchard said.
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The crisis highlighted health and mental well-being as priorities, especially as burnout and resignations rose.

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

Title:

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Weekend outfit: when should the Russians rest
2022-04-29 16: 24: 12
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According to surveys, 40% of Russians are ready for the long May holidays to abandon the long New Year holidays, 60% would like to rest longer in the winter.
How to determine how many days off workers need to recover and at what time of the year — figured out “Izvestia ”.
When Russians want to rest
The service “Rabota.ru ” interviewed in April 3 thousand users of the portal from all regions of Russia to find out how they relate to the May holidays.
It turned out that 14% of respondents are going to extend their weekend, taking a vacation between the May holidays.
72% decided not to do so, and the rest at the time of the survey did not decide on plans for three working days between May 1 and 9.
At the same time, 68% of the study participants would like the May holidays to continue from May 1 to May 10 without a break, only 32% were against.
40% of respondents would agree to abandon the long New Year holidays in favor of long May holidays, 60% would like to leave everything as it is.
Photo: TASS / Kirill Kukhmar
A similar survey was conducted by SuperJob.
The results are similar: of the 1,600 representatives of the economically active population with permanent jobs interviewed, 13% of all districts of the country reported that they would take a vacation between the May holidays.
At the same time, Russians with an income of more than 80 thousand rubles want to extend their vacation on holidays, and more often men than women.
According to SuperJob, similar results are obtained annually - last year, 13% of working citizens also reported a desire to take a few days of vacation between the May holidays.
On the question of whether it is worth exchanging long winter holidays for other vacation options, SuperJob interviewed its users at the end of December 2021 - when the leader of the LDPR Vladimir Zhirinovsky proposed to cancel the fixed New Year holidays and add these weekends to the vacations of Russians.
Then the initiative to refuse the New Year holidays was supported by about the same 38% of Russians.
Moreover, the right to rest in January was more often defended by people older than 45 years.
Why extend the May holidays
One of the latest proposals for the May holidays came in early April from the Deputy speaker of the state Duma Vladislav Davankov, who called for the extension of the May holidays in 2022 from 1 to 10 may, as it “will help people prepare food for the fall ”, so that“ food security was in order this fall. ”
He recalled that last year the May holidays were extended due to the pandemic.
At the same time, the deputy said that it is not proposed to constantly make the weekend in May long, since entrepreneurs have problems in this regard.
Later, Davankov said that he received a response from the government on his initiative - at the federal level, the proposal was not supported, but allowed each region to prolong the holidays independently.
This proposal was listened to only in the Republic of Adygea - the local Ministry of Labor reported that the days off will be from May 1 to 5 and from May 7 to 10.
There was only one working day, May 6.
This is explained by the fact that the republican non-working holidays of Uraza Bayram and the Day of Remembrance of the Dead (Radonitsa) (May 2 and 3) coincided with federal holidays, so they were moved to May 4 and 5.
Photo: Izvestia / Dmitry Korotaev
But in general, legislators and regions reacted negatively to the idea of additional days off.
Thus, the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on labor Yaroslav Nilov said that the additional weekend will be a serious burden on the Russian economy.
Other deputies pointed out that not for all regions May is the time to sow fields, but there are supporters of this approach to the May holidays.
How many weekends do people need?
Associate Professor of the Department of Labor and Social Policy of the Institute of Public Service and Management (IGSU) of the RANEPA Konstantin Dobromyslov notes that according to tradition, weekends in May in Russia are considered more important, since at this time there is a sowing season.
“But to make a decision, it is necessary to conduct political and economic studies aimed at studying the impact of holidays on the country ’ s economy, ” he told Izvestia.
He believes that it is not necessary to specifically review the number of holidays, and the practice of postponing weekends allows us to form a “normal cycle of the state ’ s life, depending on economic, political, epidemiological and other situations. ”
— Discussing a possible reduction or increase in the number of holidays, of course, you need to proceed from socio-economic expediency, — said Dobromyslov. — Russia is not resting in a single impulse — we have continuous production, watches, transport, medical services, commercial enterprises, entertainment industry, museums, theaters.
These areas continue to work regardless of holidays and weekends, thanks to which a certain economic balance is created: while one part of the population rests, the other gets the opportunity to earn money.
Photo: TASS / Sergey Savostyanov
He believes that in the light of the discussion on the reduction of the working week, the issue of January and May holidays is not relevant at all - the duration of these holidays should be determined annually depending on the current situation.
Sociologist Sergei Talanov also agrees that any decisions should be made on the basis of scientific and economic research.
– It is necessary to take into account, and sociological surveys show that the majority of our working citizens are more important than high incomes, and not long weekends, – he said in an interview with Izvestia. – If we talk about the New Year and May holidays, then rest from December 31 to January 7 and from May 1 to May 3, and then May 9 – this is quite enough to restore your strength and not particularly break your usual working rhythm.
Deputy Head of the Federal Center for Mediation, Chairman of the All-Russian Trade Union of Mediators Vladimir Kuznetsov believes that the motives for changing the number of holidays can be purely economic.
“To illustrate, we can cite the example of India: there, public holidays cost a billion rupees (about $25 million) — 21 official plus an additional 9-10 in each state, ” he told Izvestia.
Vladimir Kuznetsov points out that approaches to this issue in different countries really differ greatly, and cites the opinion of the Malaysian political economist Charles Santiago, who noted that a large number of official non-working days for the majority of the population of Malaysia is “a welcome and often the only opportunity to take a break from hard work. ”
Photo: TASS / Anatoly Zhdanov
Those businessmen who complain about the excessive number of holidays, Santiago believes, should understand that “rested workers are also an increase in labor productivity.
And in the long term – an undoubted benefit for the economy of the country as a whole, ” — quotes Kuznetsov. — Consequently, the approach to determining the number of holidays can be due to both national characteristics and the economic structure of a particular state, and speaking of Russia, it can be noted that it is still advisable to maintain the current number of holidays in the year.
Elena Heifetz, a leading analyst in the Economics and Social Development section of the CSR, notes that there are 14 non-working holidays in Russia, and this figure is significantly higher than in more economically developed countries: in Germany — 13, in the UK — 9, in the United States — 10.
— The exception is Japan, where the number of public non-working days is 15, but it must be taken into account that these days are compensation for a small paid vacation, which is 10 days, — she told “Izvestia ”. — In Russia, the duration of annual paid vacation is 28 calendar days, and for certain categories — more.
How Holidays Affect the Economy
“It is obvious that lengthening the May holidays without reducing winter or other holidays is not feasible in the current economic situation, ” says Elena Heifetz. – On average, one non-working day costs the country about 200 billion rubles, so it is impractical to increase the burden on the economy.
At the same time, she says, the postponement of winter holidays to May can be considered as a reasonable decision due to the fact that most Russian citizens take leave on May 4-8.
— It is impossible to say unequivocally that the day off / holiday is a loss for the economy, — believe in the Accounts Chamber. — For many sectors, weekends are, on the contrary, the most favorable time.
For example, for cafes and restaurants, hotels.
For some sectors, there is not much difference between holidays and working days – for example, in enterprises with a continuous production cycle.
Photo: TASS / Gavriil Grigorov
The department told Izvestia that it did not conduct relevant studies, but in general, in accordance with the principles of evidence-based policy, studies confirming the effectiveness of the transfer are needed to resolve the issue of changing the structure of weekends.
Such data could show whether post-holiday productivity gains offset economic losses by fewer working days.
The Department of International and Regional Cooperation of the Accounts Chamber reported that attempts to study the problem of the impact of holidays on the country's economy were carried out in other countries.
At the same time, it is stipulated that this issue in fact remains insufficiently studied in world practice.
— Existing studies do not allow to draw an unambiguous conclusion about the positive or negative economic effect, — noted in the Department. — The results of such studies are often contradictory.
For example, in 2015, PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia (PWC) assessed how the introduction of two days off in Victoria — Easter Sunday and Friday before the Australian Football League Grand Final — would affect the economic development of the state.
Production losses or economic costs were estimated at 717-898 million Australian dollars (about $628 million).
Also, the introduction of non-working days led to an increase in salary payments in the amount of 252 million to 286 million Australian dollars per year ($179 – 203 million) for those who were forced to work on holidays.
But this fact did not have a negative impact on the state economy, since it meant only the redistribution of funds from employer to employee.
On the other hand, positive factors were noted that can partially compensate for economic losses.
Annual in-state tourism spending increased by AUD $17 – 51 million ($12 – 35 million), as well as spending on sports events by AUD $7 – 49 million ($5 – 35 million).
Such a less obvious aspect as the individual benefit of citizens from additional free time was also analyzed.
The value of this time is calculated in the range of 50 to 100% of average earnings and, according to PWC, amounted to 156 – 312 million Australian dollars ($110 – 221 million).
Photo: TASS / Sergey Malgavko
An attempt to assess the impact of holidays on the UK economy in 2020 was made by the BBC.
It was concluded that the positive effect will extend mainly to the sphere of trade, tourism and leisure - one day off contributes to the growth of income of small shops in the country by an average of 253 pounds sterling.
In 2019, two additional holidays increased the profits of small and medium-sized businesses in the UK by £118 million.
However, the overall extent of the losses of the British economy was not analyzed.
The Department of International and Regional Cooperation of the Accounts Chamber indicates that the experience of individual foreign companies in introducing a four-day working week may be relevant in the context of studying this problem.
So, in 2019, Microsoft tested such a working mode in the framework of the “Summer competition Work-Life Choice Challenge 2019 ” in Japan.
On Fridays, employees were given a weekend without a pay cut, and it turned out that the productivity of one employee increased by almost 40%.
However, the company said that a number of other factors contributed to this.
There were other positive effects of the four-day week – a 23% reduction in energy consumption, a reduction in print volumes by almost 60%, a reduction in the duration of workshops by almost 50% – from 1 hour to 30 minutes.
- Analysis of the experience of foreign countries shows that the introduction of additional non-working days leads to financial losses on the scale of the national economy, - noted in the Accounts Chamber. - Nevertheless, part of the losses is compensated by increasing costs of citizens.
As a result, there is an increase in some sectors of the economy - mainly the sphere of recreation and tourism.
It would be possible to assess the need for long vacations from the point of view of medicine – when is it more useful to rest?
But even here everything is not clear, says the doctor-therapist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, deputy chief physician of the clinic "Mprofico" Alexey Zhito.
- Someone likes winter holidays and can spend them qualitatively, - he told "Izvestia". - And others, for example, in the May holidays is simply bad - because of allergies, it would be convenient for them to change the place at the time of flowering and fly away from their allergens.
Zhito emphasizes that 10 days is a good time to have a good rest and gain strength, but a lot here depends on each person individually.
Read also

**Changing Attitudes to Work:** There is a growing perception of work as burdensome, spurring discussions on reducing working hours.

Title:

Content: The authorities of Germany and the Dominican Republic from February 1 launched a pilot program to transfer employees to a reduced working week.
In 2019, such an idea was put forward by the then head of the Russian government, Dmitry Medvedev.
What they think about the transition to four-day in Russia and the world - in the material RTVI.
In Russia
Yaroslav Nilov, Head of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs
Commenting on the possibility of transferring Russians to a four-day working week, Yaroslav Nilov recalled that this initiative in 2019 was made by the then Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.
The deputy called the initiative implemented, but not in the near future and not for all spheres and industries.
“For someone there is already a four-day period, especially after the pandemic, after the practice of remote, mixed employment, we have workers who have not a five-day period, but a four-day period, and someone has a three-day period.
The most important thing is that there is no need to impose anything hard in the sphere of labor, no need to introduce strict regulations, no amendments.
Everything should be natural, synergistic and evolutionary.
This is a multifaceted issue, and the labor market should itself line up - taking into account new technologies, artificial intelligence, optimization solutions, "he said.
According to him, the task of reducing the working week is to make people rest more without reducing labor productivity and wages.
“It should be beneficial for both the employee and the employer.
If you shift the four-day period to the employer, this will lead to higher prices, to the closure of enterprises, and an increase in unemployment.
We don't need that.
If you do not shift, then this can lead to a loss in the salary of employees, especially since there is a piecework form of employment - payment depends on the volume of services provided or goods produced, "Nilov explained.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council
In 2019, former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced the possibility of switching to a four-day working week during his speech at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization.
“Technological progress leads to a reduction not only of jobs, but also of working time, to the expansion of leisure.
It is very likely that the future lies in a four-day working week as the basis of a social and labor contract, "Medvedev said.
Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister
After Dmitry Medvedev ’ s statement, Tatyana Golikova said that the government is “analyzing the situation ” in the labor market as part of a discussion of the possible introduction of a four-day working week.
“These four days are just a possible response to the changing world of challenges, when some professions will die, others will come to replace them, ” she said.
According to Golikova, as a result of global digitalization in the future, the need for a large number of labor resources to be occupied “in a particular workplace ” may disappear.
She also noted that in implementing the transition to a shorter working week, it will be necessary to take into account the level of wages and social guarantees.
“What kind of salary they will receive: the same as when they were occupied for five days or a little more, or in a reduced form, the question remains open here, ” she explained.
Anton Kotyakov, Minister of Labour and Social Protection
Speaking about the possibility of shortening the working week, Anton Kotyakov said in 2021 that he considers the idea of switching to a four-day schedule irrelevant.
“Given the flexible forms of employment that we have now provided in the Labor Code, the need to switch to a four-day working week is mandatory for today is irrelevant, ” he said.
According to the minister, thanks to the spread of remote employment, employers have the opportunity to form a flexible schedule.
“And if necessary, you can do four-day work in the office, and three-day, and a couple of days with a certain mode of remote work, you can work because of the city, ” he said.
Valery Fadeev, Head of the Presidential Council on Civil Society Development and Human Rights
In 2021, Valery Fadeev said that he has nothing against reducing the working week, but recalled that the salary of more than half of working Russians is about 27 thousand rubles per month, and urged to think about increasing this amount.
“Work has come to be seen as a burden and as a yoke.
But in fact, work is almost the main thing in a person ’ s life.
A person should live for the sake of family, for the sake of children, for the sake of doing something in life.
Work should bring joy to man.
I can ’ t say that we have such a situation now in our country that everyone can find a job in joy.
Unfortunately, this is not the case, ” he stressed.
Mikhail Shmakov, Head of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions
Answering a question about the transfer of companies to a four-day schedule, Mikhail Shmakov said in 2023 that representatives of the trade union movement supported the idea of reducing the working week in Russia to 36 hours only while maintaining wages for employees.
At the same time, he suggested that in the conditions of a shortage in the labor market, this idea may not be relevant.
Svetlana Bessarab, member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs
In November 2023, Svetlana Bessarab promised to make a proposal to switch to a 36-hour working week after the completion of the military operation in Ukraine.
“I can promise that after the end of the SVO and our victory, I will make a proposal to reduce the working week to 36 hours without reducing wages.
This is how rural women now work: they have the right to a shorter working week with the same salary.
And, as practice has shown, we do not lose anything in productivity, ” she said.
In August 2023, Bessarab called for “talking seriously ” about the transition to a four-day working week.
In particular, she drew attention to the fact that labor productivity has increased many times thanks to the introduction of digital technologies, while workers continue to be treated the same way as 50 years ago.
In the world
Iceland
In 2021, the British research center Autonomy called the results of an experiment to shorten the working week in Iceland a “stunning success ”.
As part of this experiment, the working week of 2.5 thousand municipal employees was reduced by 4-5 hours, and those who worked five days a week had another day off.
Autonomy, in particular, praised performance and service delivery in most of the workplaces tested, where employees began to show a higher level of enthusiasm and also began to get more pleasure from the work process.
“As a result, about 86% of the working population will be able to switch to a reduced working schedule or demand a reduction in working hours, ” the study says.
Belgium
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Cros said in 2022 that citizens of the country can require their employers to transfer to a reduced working week.
In case of refusal to provide them with such an opportunity, the employer must justify his decision in writing.
“The goal is to allow people and companies to more freely manage their working hours.
If you compare our country with other countries, you will notice that we often act much less dynamically, ” he said.
Britannia
The largest experiment on the transfer of workers to a reduced working week began in Britain in June 2022.
As part of the experiment, 3,300 employees from 70 companies were given the opportunity to work four days a week with full pay.
For the participants of the experiment, a “100: 80: 100 ” model was developed, according to which 80% of working time is paid at 100%, and employees in return agree to show 100% productivity.
“We will study how project participants respond to the extra day off in terms of stress and burnout, life and work satisfaction, as well as overall health, sleep quality, energy expenditure, range of movements and a host of other aspects, ” explained Boston College sociology professor Juliet Shore, who leads the project ’ s research team.
In 2023, sociologists at the University of Cambridge recognized the results of the experiment as successful.
In their study, they pointed out that employees who worked four days a week had significantly reduced levels of stress and illness, as well as increased levels of loyalty to employers.
At the same time, the revenues of the companies that decided to take part in the experiment did not show a significant decrease, and 23 of them even noted a slight increase, the average figure of which was 1.4%.
Spain
In October 2023, a commission of independent experts evaluated the results of a test experiment for the introduction of a four-day working week in the Spanish city of Valencia, in which 360 thousand employees took part.
Experts pointed to a reduction in stress levels, as well as an improvement in the atmosphere by reducing the number of vehicles on the streets of the city.
Representatives of the tourism sector reported that during the experiments, they had increased the flow of customers, while retail chains noted a decrease in sales.
“We want the city to be friendly, healthy and take care of people.
We want people to work to live, not to live to work, ” said the mayor of the city, Joan Ribeau, at the start of the experiment.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic was the first Latin American country to experiment with a four-day work week.
The experiment, which began on February 1, 2024, will last six months.
According to the government, it will last six months – for three months, employees will work on a reduced schedule and receive 100% of their wages, and for the next three months a special commission will collect and analyze information to understand how this change has affected the country ’ s economy.
The experiment was initiated by the Minister of Labor Luis Miguel de Camps.
He stressed that he considers the reduction of the working week not only an innovation in the labor market, but also a significant step towards a more harmonious and humane society.
“Priority is given to people, improving health and well-being, and promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly productivity, ” the official added.
Germany
In September 2023, Germany opened the reception of applications from organizations ready to take part in the experiment to shorten the working week.
Despite the statement of the Minister of Finance of the country Christian Lindner, who questioned the possibility of switching to a four-day working week, 45 companies in test mode transferred their employees to the new schedule from February 1, 2024.
German authorities have agreed to an experiment with a shortened working week amid a crisis associated with rising inflation and a shortage of trained personnel.
As Bloomberg notes, these factors led to the fact that German workers began to actively seek higher wages, as well as to fight for the flexibility and independence that they received during the pandemic.

This is happening globally, albeit with local variations in attitude and feasibility.

**Productivity and Well-Being:** Experiments and surveys, especially in Europe (e.g., Germany, UK), show that a 4-day workweek does not necessarily harm company revenue or productivity.

Title:

Content: In Germany, began an experiment with a four-day work week
People are sitting in a cafe.
Featured image: saliraparis
In Germany, they decided to conduct an experiment with a four-day work week.
It started today, February 1 and will last six months.
This is reported by Bloomberg.
Read also:
Four-day work week in Germany
The purpose of this experiment is to test in practice the assertion of trade unions that an additional day off will make workers healthier, happier and more productive.
It is known that 45 companies take part in the experiment - their employees will work four days a week with the preservation of wages.
At the same time, such a solution is seen as one way to solve the problems caused by the acute shortage of skilled labor.
Since the factor of shortage of specialists is often used by trade unions to demand higher wages for workers.
For example, the construction workers ’ union is demanding a wage increase of more than 20% for 930,000 workers.
According to economists, this may lead to a jump in inflation in the country.
Preliminary experiments on shortened workweeks in the US and Canada showed that employees had improved physical and mental health and reduced burnout.
Recall that in the Spanish Valencia for a month tested a four-day working week.
As a result, researchers and city authorities found that this approach is useful for the city.
We also wrote that recently Germany is gaining more and more popularity among Ukrainian refugees.
And all because the conditions in the country are becoming more attractive.
Topical on the topic

Reported benefits include improved employee mental health, job satisfaction, and a better work-life balance.

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

What did surveys conducted in London before and after the experiment of 4-day workweek  find?

54% of employees had better balance of work and home responsibilities

What has a Gallup Poll found out about the prospect of 4-day workweek?

77% of American employees believe that it will have a positive impact on their health

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Increase in employee and customer satisfaction.

Title:

Content: Four days has become a reality.
In the UK conducted an important experiment – details
The length of the work week was significantly reduced.
In the UK, workers are transferred to a four-day working week. / Photo: Collage: Today
In the UK, a large-scale experiment has begun on the introduction of a four-day working week.
About 3.3 thousand employees from 70 companies will take part in the pilot program.
It is expected that the reduction of working days will increase the productivity of workers.
This is reported by Sky News.
Advertisement
The experiment involved companies from different industries: for example, the banking sector and the hotel business.
They must continue to pay workers 100% of their wages, provided that they maintain maximum productivity.
The duration of the experiment is 6 months.
During this time, the organizers of the study – 4 Day Week Global in partnership with the analytical center Autonomy and the campaign 4 Day Week UK – should measure the impact of reducing the number of working days on productivity and well-being of staff.
Ed Siegel, CEO of Charity Bank, said: “The concept of a five-day workweek of the 20th century is no longer appropriate for the business of the 21st century. ”
The organizers of the experiment believe that after the coronavirus pandemic, the approach to the length of the working week should change.
Advertisement
Why we need to reduce the working week
A four-day work week increases worker productivity.
This was proved in 2019 in the Japanese division of Microsoft and transferred employees to a new work schedule.
Friday was an extra weekend.
At the same time, people were not reduced wages and did not calculate days from vacation.
During the experiment, it turned out that the efficiency of workers who rest more increased by as much as 40 percent.
The company also saved money.
Because I started to spend 20 percent less electricity and print half as much paper.
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**Business and Cultural Challenges:** Employers are wary of potential spikes in labor costs and decreased output.

Title:

Content: NEWS
Nonviolent Implementation: When Russia Can Switch to Four Days
Deputy Nilov considers the transition to a four-day working week a near future
Listening
Stop
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs Yaroslav Nilov (LDPR) said that the transition in Russia to a four-day working week is a matter of the near future.
He also noted that some enterprises of the country are already working in this format.
"The question of the near future"
“I believe that the transition from five to four working days is a matter of the near future.
Although some enterprises already work in this format - in the framework of remote or part-time employment.
Moreover, in the midst of the pandemic, this was one of the best solutions in the matter of preserving personnel and continuing the activities of the enterprise.
But the main condition here is a step-by-step evolution, not in any case a legislative-forced implementation.
In addition, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the work of enterprises of a continuous cycle, there a shortened working week is initially impossible, ” Nilov told RIA Novosti.
According to him, for certain types and areas of business, the transition to a four-day period will mean a direct reduction in profits.
“My opinion is that the market itself will come to optimization where it is possible, artificial restrictions or, conversely, imposition will only harm, ” the politician said.
The parliamentarian noted that a normal balance between work and free time is quite possible, this was shown by the coronavirus pandemic.
In his opinion, in the conditions of technical improvement and with the introduction of artificial intelligence, part of the usual labor costs will be gradually shifted to equipment and technologies.
And this will allow you to free up time for “investing in yourself and your intelligence. ”
“There is a digital revolution going on in the world today.
Enterprises require less physical strength and more mental strength.
Man is transformed from a worker to a machine operator.
In this regard, another reform of working conditions is overdue, ” Nilov said.
Initiative 2019
Dmitry Medvedev spoke publicly about the possible transition to a four-day working week for the first time, speaking at the 108th session of the International Labour Organization in Geneva in early June 2019.
Then Medvedev held the post of Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
“Employers will have to take more and more into account the interests of their employees.
It is very likely that the future lies in a four-day work week...
The constant pursuit of success turns into systemic fatigue, chronic stress.
Sometimes people just burn up at work.
All this leads to a decrease in labor productivity, which, in turn, affects economic indicators, ” he said.
According to him, it is necessary to develop new approaches to the working day and workplace.
He explained that it was about flexible schedules, remote formats and calling staff as needed.
As the head of government at that time, he stressed that due to technological progress, old professions are leaving and new ones are appearing.
Already on October 1 of the same year, the Ministry of Labor of Russia sent a report to the government on the introduction of a four-day working week in the future.
"This issue requires further study...
During the discussion, it was revealed that a sharp mandatory reduction in the length of the working week carries risks, but at the same time has positive aspects.
So, reducing the length of the working week can, for example, lead to an increase in labor costs, as well as the cost of production, ” the Ministry of Labor said on its website.
The Ministry noted that during the discussion of the four-day working week with authorities, employers and trade unions, it was proposed to consider the topic “at the site of the Russian Tripartite Commission for the Regulation of Social and Labor Relations ” (RTK).
It was also planned to establish a working group on working hours and flexible forms of employment within RTC.
“At the same time, reducing the length of working time while maintaining the level of remuneration can contribute to the protection of the employee ’ s health, increasing the efficiency of work and professional capacity for work, personal and professional development, a more harmonious combination of family and work responsibilities, and the release of time for sports, culture, and recreation, ” the ministry said.
“He ’ s completely crazy, isn ’ t he? ”
In January this year, in an interview with RIA Novosti, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that the four-day working week should be moved as the economic prerequisites matured.
“The four-day work week — for some reason, when I said this at the ILO session, there was such a state of shock, as if it were some kind of revelation.
This is an attack on the foundations.
Someone applauded, said: “That ’ s right, you need to work less! ”
Someone said, “He ’ s crazy, isn ’ t he?
And so the money is not enough, and four days if you work, you will receive less ” and so on, — said Medvedev.
He noted that for the first time this was talked about in the 1960s.
“In many countries, such a system has been introduced as a pilot.
In some cases, it has already been implemented and, in fact, legally.
The question is the economic preparedness to work four days a week.
We all understand that a person must recover, that three days off is better than two, you will agree.
But this can not be done just by a stroke of a pen, ” explained the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
He added that “60 years ago ” in Russia there was a six-day working week, which today“ seems nonsense ”.
Two days off is totally natural.
Three days off is normal.
But it is necessary to mature all the prerequisites necessary for this.
They are beginning to appear, ” the official said.
In modern Russia, there are already several companies that have transferred their employees to a four-day working week.
So, entrepreneur Sergei Polonsky told KP.ru that the four-day period was introduced in Mirax Group more than 10 years ago.
“Working hard at a large company is stressful.
Two days off is not enough for recovery.
During this time, people only have time to do some household chores, children or elderly relatives to work out, and there is no time left for themselves: go to the gym, steam in the bath, just lie on the couch with a book - so that the brain reboots.
The head should rest — otherwise it will not be visited by any interesting ideas, ” — said the businessman.
He noted that productivity did not fall: in four days, employees began to do what they had done in five days.
Downloading

What are the views that object 4-day workweek?

It may lead to a large increase in labor costs

Cultural resistance is significant—long-established norms assume a 5-day, 40-hour workweek, and reducing this may initially shock employees and disrupt established workflows.

Title:

Content: Manager of an Estonian company about a four-day work week: experience shows that it is doable
Over time, more innovative ways of working begin to penetrate the Estonian work culture.
Today, the most attention is paid to the shortened working week: for example, a four-day working week or a six-hour working day.
These approaches seem exciting to many, but the fear that they will negatively affect the organization of work, often becomes an obstacle in their implementation in practice.
Elisa manager Joosep Põllumäe noted that while the fear of innovative working methods is understandable, with the right organizational culture, proper pre-planning and strong support systems, confusion resulting from overtraining can be avoided in most cases.
For example, a four-week workweek has been successfully tested twice in Elisa ’ s technology department, which has more than 200 employees.
From now on, it will become a permanent summer mode for IT teams.
“If in recent decades everyone has known that there are forty hours a week to do work, and you can ask for help from colleagues every day from nine to five, then one day off can be a real shock, ” he said.
You just need to know which problem areas to focus on. ”
According to Põllumäe, in order for the introduction of new ways of working to go as smoothly as possible, it is first of all important to focus on establishing clear rules of the game, clear communication and the most accurate measurements.
Expectations should converge
Working four days a week, one weekday is free for the employee.
However, the details associated with this basic thesis may vary from company to company.
Therefore, according to Põllumäe, it is important that all parties involved in the organization of work understand these details equally.
For example, you should establish whether the day off is completely free, or it will be a day of study, a day of concentration or something else.
It is also important to determine who can be disturbed on the fifth day and on what issues, what changes will be made to the organization of work in the remaining four days, so that the work continues to be carried out.
“Employees need to clearly understand what is expected of them and what means are at their disposal to achieve their goals – whether they can cancel meetings, refuse additional tasks, work more from home.
Similarly, employers need to understand what employees expect.
For example, if a four-day work week includes one completely free day, you need to understand that employees do not want to be covered with working letters on this day, ” Põllumäe said.
Work must be measurable
Since expectations of attainable results do not decrease when working hours are shortened, one of the secrets to the success of the new organization of work is clear measurements and a concrete understanding of when the work is done.
According to Põllumäe, the more abstract someone ’ s role or the wider the range of tasks, the more likely it is that some important topics will go unnoticed, or people will always feel that they have to do more, and therefore will not dare to take a day off.
“Employees usually want to exceed expectations.
Try to do as much as possible in five working days.
However, if the employer suddenly allows an employee to take a day off in the case of work performed, then without clear measurements, it is difficult for some employees to understand whether they have completed their tasks or not, - he explained. - That is why very clear measurements are important - thing X should be developed within a month, analysis Y should be completed within a quarter, no "ticket" should "hang" longer than Z days. "
The better people understand their expectations, the better they can plan their work and deliver results in less time.
Communication is important
Since no team or branch of a company operates in a vacuum, clear communication and listening to feedback are also critical to implementing innovative work practices.
For example, departments ordering work from the development department should understand that one day a week from the development department should not wait for answers.
The sales team should know that marketing will not launch new ads on a certain day, and management should understand that one day a week should not expect quick reports from employees.
“If everyone knows how others work, they adjust their work accordingly.
Knowing that the data sphere teams are not working on Friday, the necessary data will be requested on Thursday, he explained. – It is also important to ask for constant feedback – if it begins to seem that the absence of someone from the team is causing real damage to the business, or customers begin to feel their absence, something needs to be adjusted, for example, to change the day when they are absent, or alternate absent employees to always provide some cover. ”
Key words
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**Implementation Issues:** Not all jobs or industries can easily adopt a 4-day model, especially roles dependent on continuous presence or shift work.

What did Labor economist Jonathan Boys say about 4-day workweek?

Education industriy may face more problems.

Healthcare industry may face more problems.

Food and beverage industry may face more problems.

Large-scale change is complex and cannot be achieved by policy decree alone; it requires coordinated adaptation.

What challenges will the companies with diverse workforce have for implementing 4-day workweek??

Complicated to roll out for large companies

**Equity and Labor Market Considerations:** While some populations or sectors (e.g., some rural women, certain state-provided jobs) already experience adjusted or reduced hours, widespread adoption depends on economic preparedness and labor market conditions like worker shortages.

There are concerns about equitable access to reduced work schedules across job types and demographics.

**Employer-Employee Relations:** As employee well-being becomes a central concern, employers are expected increasingly to accommodate flexible or shorter working weeks to attract and retain staff, especially in competitive labor markets.

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

**Global Variation in Readiness:** While pilot programs and experiments are appearing, such as a 6-month 4-day workweek trial involving 70 companies, readiness differs sharply by country due to economic structure, societal expectations, and legal frameworks.

**Skepticism and Optimism:** Some officials and opinion leaders see the transition to a 4-day workweek as inevitable, while others caution that it’s not universally appropriate or urgent, particularly in countries where full employment or advanced automation has not been achieved.

**Incremental Change:** The move from five to four working days is considered a near-future possibility by some policymakers and researchers, suggesting that hybrid or flexible models will proliferate before full-scale adoption.

**In summary:** The 4-day workweek is gaining traction as a response to pandemic-driven reevaluation of work and mental health, with reported benefits around productivity and well-being.

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

The productivity  increased
The employees were happier

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Still, significant challenges exist around implementation, cost, equity, and tradition, meaning global adoption will be uneven and gradual, shaped by local context and industry.

What are the views that object 4-day workweek?

It may lead to a large increase in labor costs

What challenges will the companies with diverse workforce have for implementing 4-day workweek??

Complicated to roll out for large companies

**Nuggets on the 4-Day Workweek Global Trend and Its Impacts:**

1.

Title:

Content: June 6, 2022
6 June 2022 ° C
Another country experiences a four-day weekly work
+ - 0 Read
70 British companies are planning to experiment with four days a week without cutting the wages of their more than 3,000 workers.
The BBC said the four-day trial would last for six months, which organisers consider to be the largest four-day trial run anywhere in the world.
Companies are slated to offer 100% of their pay despite cutting working hours to 80%, but companies are required to commit to maintaining at least 100% of their productivity.
Academics from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are overseeing the experiment as well as experts at Boston College in the United States in partnership with the Autonomy Research Center.
Participating companies offer products and services ranging from education to consulting services, and researchers will work with each participating organization to measure the impact on productivity and well-being of their workers, as well as impact on the environment and gender equality.
Share your opinion

**Positive Results from Trials:**
   - Large-scale trials, particularly in the UK involving around 2,900 employees across 60+ companies, show the 4-day workweek boosts employee well-being and productivity.

Title:

Content: Four working days a week increases profits and improves workers ’ health
T + T - normal size
Researchers have found that the four-day workweek system tested by British companies with about 2,900 employees not only saves workers from fatigue and disease, but is also good for the work itself, as it does not lead to lower profits, but increases them.
Therefore, most of the companies that tested it plan to continue working with it, according to Russia Today.
The researchers surveyed employees regularly and periodically to assess the impact of the extra day off on their lives.
The workers stressed that currently they rarely suffer from anxiety and that their mental health has improved significantly.
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- Companies maintained or increased profits, with revenues rising an average of 1.4% during trials.

Title:

Content: How about four days a week instead of five?
Here are the results of an exciting experiment involving 60 companies around the world.
More than 60 companies participated in the experiment, allowing around 3,000 employees to work one day less per week while retaining the same salary.
Rates of stress, burnout and fatigue all fell, while problems with sleep declined, the study shows.
Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
MAIN POINTS
• The study found that more than 9 out of 10 companies will continue to shorten the work week or plan to do so
• Productivity was not affected by lighter work weeks, with the company ’ s revenue increasing by an average of 1.4 per cent over the trial period
The study also found that employment increased and absenteeism decreased.
A four-day workweek is more productive for most employees and businesses than the traditional five-day workweek, and is one of the largest trials ever conducted in the UK.
More than 60 companies in the UK participated in the trial over a six-month period, allowing around 3,000 employees to work one day less per week while retaining the same salary.
The trial was conducted between June and December and was organized by a nonprofit group called 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with the Autonomy Research Center, the University of Cambridge, and Boston College in the United States.
The experience is described as the largest in the world around working four days a week.
The survey released on Tuesday found that more than nine out of 10 companies would continue to adopt or plan to do so, while only 4 percent chose not to extend it, regulators said in a statement.
Juliette Shore, a professor at Boston College, said: “The results are largely the same across workplaces of all sizes, demonstrating that this innovation has proven to be effective in many diverse organizations.
Productivity was not affected by shorter working days, with the company ’ s revenue increasing by an average of 1.4% over the trial period.
Revenue jumped 35% on average when compared to similar periods in previous years.
The study also found that employment increased and absenteeism decreased, while the number of resignations dropped sharply during the trial.
In addition, the researchers concluded that overall health and staff well-being improved.
"Significant" increases were also observed in physical and mental health, time spent on exercise, public life and job satisfaction.
Stress, fatigue and fatigue rates have decreased, while sleep problems have decreased.
"Really positive."
Cambridge University professor Brendan Burchell told AFP: “In terms of employees, their mental health improved, they slept better, and they became less stressed.
“But at the same time, companies have stated that if there are changes in their profits or in their performance, they are more likely to go up rather than down. ”
“A lot of people were very happy, people really enjoyed it; and they found it good to have three-day weekends instead of two days. ”
Environmental consultancy Tyler Grange in the UK was among 18 companies that decided to permanently adopt a four-day work week after participating in the trial.
Nathan Jenkinson, customer manager at Tyler Grange, told AFP: “My experience has been really positive, you can see it in people ’ s work and they ’ re more active.
“Employees come to work at the beginning of the week on Monday, after three days off, feel more positive about work and have a lot of energy. ”
Tyler Grange said performance improved slightly despite reduced working hours.
In recent years, studies of the four-day workweek have spread globally as employers explore the nature of post-pandemic work, including the concept of a co-working place that allows more work from home.
Short-week experiments were conducted across Europe, the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
However, when asked whether the UK government might adopt the test as a national policy, Prime Minister ’ s spokesman Rishi Sonak sounded cautious and stated, “There are no plans for that. ”
Continue the dialogue via our accounts on and
Check out the latest Australian news and topics you ’ re interested in.
You can also listen to our programs on or through the free SBS Radio app.
You can also watch news at any time on SBS On Demand.
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Published at 22 / 02 / 2023 1: 59pm
Presented by: Nassif Khoury
Source: AFP
Available in other languages
The subject.

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

- Over 90% of participating firms plan to keep or expand the shorter workweek.

What do employers in India think of 4-day workweek?

Title:

Content: Four working days a week increases profits and improves workers ’ health
T + T - normal size
Researchers have found that the four-day workweek system tested by British companies with about 2,900 employees not only saves workers from fatigue and disease, but is also good for the work itself, as it does not lead to lower profits, but increases them.
Therefore, most of the companies that tested it plan to continue working with it, according to Russia Today.
The researchers surveyed employees regularly and periodically to assess the impact of the extra day off on their lives.
The workers stressed that currently they rarely suffer from anxiety and that their mental health has improved significantly.
Print Email

**Employee Benefits:**
   - Workers report improved mental health, better sleep, and less stress.

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

What did surveys conducted in London before and after the experiment of 4-day workweek  find?

What has a Gallup Poll found out about the prospect of 4-day workweek?

77% of American employees believe that it will have a positive impact on their health

- Lower rates of sick leave (down by 65%) and employee turnover/intention to quit (down by 57%) were observed.

Title:

Content: “Amazing results. ”
This is what led to a recent study on “working only four days a week ”!
Decrease in the percentage of people who want to leave jobs and sick leave.
Productivity and Well-Being
Reducing working days from 5 to 4 per week is one of the most popular wishes of workers, but a new study has revealed that if implemented, it can achieve positive results.
According to the Sun, a group of British researchers have found that reducing the working week boosts employee well-being while maintaining productivity.
The researchers said 71 percent of the employees in the six-month trial had experienced work-related “burnout, ” and 39 percent said a day off made them feel less stressed.
During the trial, the percentage of sick leave decreased by 65 percent and the number of employees who want to leave their jobs dropped to 57 percent.
Professor Brendan Burchell, from the University of Cambridge, said: “During the experiment, workers were less likely to waste time and actively sought to promote technologies that improve their productivity.
Joe Ryle, director of the Four Days a Week campaign, describes the results as a “big breakthrough moment ” for the idea of shorter work weeks, Sky News Arabia reported.
“Across a variety of different sectors of the economy, these amazing results show that four days a week is extremely effective. ”
“A week of four days means a better work life and a better family life for many people. ”
In a report on the results, the companies that participated said they planned to stay the same as they tried, reducing the working week to 4.
News you might like.
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sabq.org

- A shorter week supports a better balance between work and family life, enhancing overall well-being and job satisfaction.

Title:

Content: “Amazing results. ”
This is what led to a recent study on “working only four days a week ”!
Decrease in the percentage of people who want to leave jobs and sick leave.
Productivity and Well-Being
Reducing working days from 5 to 4 per week is one of the most popular wishes of workers, but a new study has revealed that if implemented, it can achieve positive results.
According to the Sun, a group of British researchers have found that reducing the working week boosts employee well-being while maintaining productivity.
The researchers said 71 percent of the employees in the six-month trial had experienced work-related “burnout, ” and 39 percent said a day off made them feel less stressed.
During the trial, the percentage of sick leave decreased by 65 percent and the number of employees who want to leave their jobs dropped to 57 percent.
Professor Brendan Burchell, from the University of Cambridge, said: “During the experiment, workers were less likely to waste time and actively sought to promote technologies that improve their productivity.
Joe Ryle, director of the Four Days a Week campaign, describes the results as a “big breakthrough moment ” for the idea of shorter work weeks, Sky News Arabia reported.
“Across a variety of different sectors of the economy, these amazing results show that four days a week is extremely effective. ”
“A week of four days means a better work life and a better family life for many people. ”
In a report on the results, the companies that participated said they planned to stay the same as they tried, reducing the working week to 4.
News you might like.
No stories found.
Sabq Electronic Newspaper
sabq.org

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

What did surveys conducted in London before and after the experiment of 4-day workweek  find?

54% of employees had better balance of work and home responsibilities

What has a Gallup Poll found out about the prospect of 4-day workweek?

46% of American employees said it will have an "extremely positive" impact.

77% of American employees believe that it will have a positive impact on their health

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Increase in employee and customer satisfaction.

Title:

Content: Four working days a week increases profits and improves workers ’ health
T + T - normal size
Researchers have found that the four-day workweek system tested by British companies with about 2,900 employees not only saves workers from fatigue and disease, but is also good for the work itself, as it does not lead to lower profits, but increases them.
Therefore, most of the companies that tested it plan to continue working with it, according to Russia Today.
The researchers surveyed employees regularly and periodically to assess the impact of the extra day off on their lives.
The workers stressed that currently they rarely suffer from anxiety and that their mental health has improved significantly.
Print Email

**Sectoral Adoption:**
   - Health and technology sectors are prominent adopters, using the model to attract and retain top talent amid competitive labor markets.

Title:

Content: More vacations, less time, higher productivity.
American companies are testing their four-day job.
In an effort to retain competencies and balance work and personal life
In an effort to retain competent employees, offer incentives not to give them away to other competitors, and to balance work and personal life, many American companies have begun experimenting with a new work system that is perpetually only four days a week instead of five.
Participants in this experiment were asked to apply it for six months, with working hours reduced from forty hours a week to thirty-two hours, without prejudice to the financial entitlements of the employees.
Experiments from several US companies have found that employees who worked only four days a week were more productive and happier.
One of the advantages of working only four days a week, according to these experiences, as reported by Sky News Arabia, is that it made employees stick to their work more, which achieves a balance in the difficult equation between the professional and personal life of the employee.
Commenting on the experience, David Leventhal, chief economic editor at Business Insider, said: “In the United States, the coronavirus epidemic has changed everything, including employees who have worked from home for months, but so far there has been no move by the federal government to work for just four days.
Nick Loris, a researcher in the clean energy and climate sector, said: “Working just four days will be very important in terms of its environmental impact, as it will reduce the traffic jams that come with going to and from work at the same time for many people, especially in large cities, thus reducing emissions later. ”
The most prominent sectors that tried this approach were health and technology, and it came as an attempt by employers to retain qualified employees and offer them incentives not to give them away to other competitors.
On the other hand, there are those who have registered their objection to this career approach, pointing out that it may cause challenges that are difficult to resolve in terms of conflicting work schedules and scheduling.
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- The trend is spreading to diverse roles and industries, from manual labor to professional services.

Title:

Content: FINANCIAL TIMES
Intensifying labor does not make us richer.
More trouble.
The idea that technology can free us from the hardship of work is a powerful one.
It has also been a strong disappointment, at least so far.
Many lament the fact that John Maynard Keynes thought we could all work 15 hours a week by the time we live now.
But it ’ s not just about working hours.
The nature of work also seems to have changed in the past three decades.
Despite the new technology – or perhaps because of it – people now say they work harder and have tighter deadlines under higher levels of stress.
The best evidence for this comes from the UK.
Large, government-funded surveys, conducted every five years, show that “work intensification ” has increased since the 1990s.
The percentage of employees who “strongly agree ” that their job requires them to work“ very seriously ” increased from 30 percent in 1992 to 46 percent in 2017.
The proportion of those with "tight deadlines" increased from 53 per cent to 60 per cent.
The proportion of those who say they work at “very high speed ” has swelled at least three-quarters of the time, from 23 percent to 45 percent.
What ’ s remarkable about this trend is that it happens to everyone.
Francis Green, a professor at University College London, who has studied the phenomenon for years, said: “Not only are those on Amazon ’ s production line, but also London transport workers and new lawyers.
According to an analysis by the Research Foundation, just over two-thirds of employees in the top quarter of the salary scale reported that they worked “under a great deal of stress ” in 2017.
The same applies to half of workers in the minimum wage quarter, but this latter group has seen the biggest increase in tension since the 1990s.
Studies have found that work has become heavy for managers, nurses, aviation workers, meat processing workers, school teachers, IT staff, and caregivers.
There is also evidence of intensified action in Europe and the United States.
Hey, what's happening?
In the 1990s, people said that their “own discretion ” was the most important factor in how hard they worked.
Now they are more likely to cite “customers or consumers. ”
In a world of instant communication, many workers now feel they have to respond quickly to consumer or customer requests.
This applies to the banker who is working on a major merger and the Uber Eats driver who summons him to bring him a burger.
In the newspaper industry, we publish important breaking news online as quickly as possible.
I sometimes think sadly about our ancestors who used the internet and who only had to worry about the printing deadline.
Another possible explanation is that employers simply reduced the number of employees to save costs without coming up with more efficient ways of getting the work done.
This will no doubt resonate with UK public sector workers who suffered a decade of cuts in government spending after the financial crisis.
Some companies have also harnessed technology to extract more employee effort.
More workplaces, such as warehouses, have become partially automated, meaning workers have to keep up with machines.
It is now easier to monitor other workers.
See the growth of programs that track employees ’ keystrokes, measure breaks, and send alerts if they get lost to non-work locations.
A fourth possibility is that email and instant messaging platforms, such as Slack, get people mentally tired.
It ’ s hard to focus on ongoing interruptions, which can make workers feel like they ’ re working hard and fast even if they haven ’ t done much.
This raises the key question of productivity.
It doesn ’ t necessarily have to be bad for people to work harder if they have some spare power.
In the end, higher productivity should lead to better living standards.
But the intensification of labour in the UK has coincided with weak productivity growth in the past decade.
Working harder doesn ’ t seem to make us richer, but it does seem to make us harder.
A new study by academics Tom Hunt and Harry Picard suggests that “working at high intensity ” increases the likelihood that people report stress, depression and burnout.
Data from the UK ’ s Department of Health and Safety show that the proportion of people suffering from work stress, depression, or anxiety was rising even before the outbreak.
What can be done?
It will be difficult to undo the various factors that have combined to intensify the work.
In the absence of simple policy solutions, it ’ s easy to see why the four-day week campaign is gaining momentum – with the UK workplace experiment starting this week.
If we can ’ t work less, maybe we should reduce the work.
Publish it.
MORE FROM FINANCIAL TIMES

Title:

Content: Four working days a week increases profits and improves workers ’ health
T + T - normal size
Researchers have found that the four-day workweek system tested by British companies with about 2,900 employees not only saves workers from fatigue and disease, but is also good for the work itself, as it does not lead to lower profits, but increases them.
Therefore, most of the companies that tested it plan to continue working with it, according to Russia Today.
The researchers surveyed employees regularly and periodically to assess the impact of the extra day off on their lives.
The workers stressed that currently they rarely suffer from anxiety and that their mental health has improved significantly.
Print Email

**The Broader Context of Work Intensification:**
   - Despite technological advances, work pressure has increased across occupations.

- The share of employees facing “tight deadlines” and high stress continues to rise, not just for high earners but especially among low-wage workers.

- Increased monitoring and workplace interruptions hamper focus and intensify the pace of work, regardless of output.

Title:

Content: Four working days a week increases profits and improves workers ’ health
T + T - normal size
Researchers have found that the four-day workweek system tested by British companies with about 2,900 employees not only saves workers from fatigue and disease, but is also good for the work itself, as it does not lead to lower profits, but increases them.
Therefore, most of the companies that tested it plan to continue working with it, according to Russia Today.
The researchers surveyed employees regularly and periodically to assess the impact of the extra day off on their lives.
The workers stressed that currently they rarely suffer from anxiety and that their mental health has improved significantly.
Print Email

**Reduced Actual Productivity Time:**
   - Studies indicate that during a standard 8-hour day, employees may only be productive for about 3 hours, prompting advocacy for shorter daily or weekly hours.

Title:

Content: Scotland starts work experience 4 days a week with the same wages – Al Manar TV – Lebanon
Lebanese Media Group
Al Manar Channel
Scotland starts working four days a week with the same pay
Scotland has announced the start of a four-day week trial, which would mean a 20% reduction in working hours while workers receive the same pay.
The decision to test the system four days a week was in line with the campaign promise of the ruling Scottish National Party.
SNP is expected to fund the new system with £10m ($13.8m), with a Scottish government poll indicating that 80% of citizens strongly supported the initiative.
Supporters of the system believe it will significantly enhance their health and happiness, pointing to positive results in other countries that have tried the system, such as Iceland, New Zealand and Japan.
Some Scottish companies have implemented the reduced work week system, including Glasgow based Upac Group, which announced that its employees will enjoy four days a week with the same salary after a pilot program, according to the company Oroco, based in Edinburgh, the application of the same system, which was supported by employees, and a number of companies participated in the initiative.
The Spanish government has announced that it will pilot a four-day work week, so the government has adopted a system of 32 hours a week over three years without reducing wages, and the government has reduced the risks to employers by compensating the difference in salary.
Earlier, studies called for reducing working hours to just five, noting that this will improve employee productivity, while noting that the increase in hours intensity leads to more stress.
An 8-hour workday has been the norm for more than a century, but recent polls suggest that most people actually produce just three hours a day, leading to calls to cut the workday to five or six hours.
Source: Sputnik

Title:

Content: Four working days a week increases profits and improves workers ’ health
T + T - normal size
Researchers have found that the four-day workweek system tested by British companies with about 2,900 employees not only saves workers from fatigue and disease, but is also good for the work itself, as it does not lead to lower profits, but increases them.
Therefore, most of the companies that tested it plan to continue working with it, according to Russia Today.
The researchers surveyed employees regularly and periodically to assess the impact of the extra day off on their lives.
The workers stressed that currently they rarely suffer from anxiety and that their mental health has improved significantly.
Print Email

**Policymaker and Legislative Interest:**
   - Legislative proposals, such as one in the US to reduce the standard workweek to 32 hours, aim to foster social justice, worker happiness, and a broader conversation about the future of work.

Title:

Content: Internationalisms
US congressman: 32 hours a week is key to happiness
California Rep. Mark Takano has again submitted to Congress his bill, which would impose 32 hours of work a week in the United States, to become a federal labor law.
Once passed, the number of working hours per week in the United States would be reduced from 40 to 32.
The law also includes a proposal for overtime pay for any work done after 32 hours, which will encourage companies to pay extra salaries to employees working longer hours, and encourage companies to hire more people.
The bill applies to workers in fields such as entertainment, hospitality, transportation, construction, manufacturing, wholesale and retail.
Insisting on the bill after it was first introduced in 2021, Takano told CNBC Make It that he wanted to stimulate debate in order to benefit and protect all workers as well as enhance their happiness and achieve what he called “social justice. ”
Nearly 3,000 UK workers from 61 companies have recently been experimented with four days a week for six months, with positive results including improved productivity, revenue, morale and team culture, as well as improved employee health and personal lives.
Related Articles
Go to the top button

Title:

Content: Four working days a week increases profits and improves workers ’ health
T + T - normal size
Researchers have found that the four-day workweek system tested by British companies with about 2,900 employees not only saves workers from fatigue and disease, but is also good for the work itself, as it does not lead to lower profits, but increases them.
Therefore, most of the companies that tested it plan to continue working with it, according to Russia Today.
The researchers surveyed employees regularly and periodically to assess the impact of the extra day off on their lives.
The workers stressed that currently they rarely suffer from anxiety and that their mental health has improved significantly.
Print Email

**Challenges and Considerations:**
   - Implementing the 4-day week is easier in some industries than others due to operational needs (e.g., healthcare may have scheduling difficulties, while tech or office roles transition more smoothly).

Title:

Content: June 6, 2022
6 June 2022 ° C
Another country experiences a four-day weekly work
+ - 0 Read
70 British companies are planning to experiment with four days a week without cutting the wages of their more than 3,000 workers.
The BBC said the four-day trial would last for six months, which organisers consider to be the largest four-day trial run anywhere in the world.
Companies are slated to offer 100% of their pay despite cutting working hours to 80%, but companies are required to commit to maintaining at least 100% of their productivity.
Academics from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are overseeing the experiment as well as experts at Boston College in the United States in partnership with the Autonomy Research Center.
Participating companies offer products and services ranging from education to consulting services, and researchers will work with each participating organization to measure the impact on productivity and well-being of their workers, as well as impact on the environment and gender equality.
Share your opinion

What did Labor economist Jonathan Boys say about 4-day workweek?

Healthcare industry may face more problems.

Food and beverage industry may face more problems.

- Ensuring equity is crucial—such models risk benefiting higher-wage or salaried positions disproportionately unless tailored for broader workforce inclusion.

- Business continuity and client expectations must be managed to prevent service gaps and maintain operational effectiveness.

Title:

Content: More vacations, less time, higher productivity.
American companies are testing their four-day job.
In an effort to retain competencies and balance work and personal life
In an effort to retain competent employees, offer incentives not to give them away to other competitors, and to balance work and personal life, many American companies have begun experimenting with a new work system that is perpetually only four days a week instead of five.
Participants in this experiment were asked to apply it for six months, with working hours reduced from forty hours a week to thirty-two hours, without prejudice to the financial entitlements of the employees.
Experiments from several US companies have found that employees who worked only four days a week were more productive and happier.
One of the advantages of working only four days a week, according to these experiences, as reported by Sky News Arabia, is that it made employees stick to their work more, which achieves a balance in the difficult equation between the professional and personal life of the employee.
Commenting on the experience, David Leventhal, chief economic editor at Business Insider, said: “In the United States, the coronavirus epidemic has changed everything, including employees who have worked from home for months, but so far there has been no move by the federal government to work for just four days.
Nick Loris, a researcher in the clean energy and climate sector, said: “Working just four days will be very important in terms of its environmental impact, as it will reduce the traffic jams that come with going to and from work at the same time for many people, especially in large cities, thus reducing emissions later. ”
The most prominent sectors that tried this approach were health and technology, and it came as an attempt by employers to retain qualified employees and offer them incentives not to give them away to other competitors.
On the other hand, there are those who have registered their objection to this career approach, pointing out that it may cause challenges that are difficult to resolve in terms of conflicting work schedules and scheduling.
News you might like.
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Title:

Content: Four working days a week increases profits and improves workers ’ health
T + T - normal size
Researchers have found that the four-day workweek system tested by British companies with about 2,900 employees not only saves workers from fatigue and disease, but is also good for the work itself, as it does not lead to lower profits, but increases them.
Therefore, most of the companies that tested it plan to continue working with it, according to Russia Today.
The researchers surveyed employees regularly and periodically to assess the impact of the extra day off on their lives.
The workers stressed that currently they rarely suffer from anxiety and that their mental health has improved significantly.
Print Email

**Global Trend and Ongoing Experiments:**
   - Countries like the UK, Scotland, and Australia have run or are running major trials.

Title:

Content: June 6, 2022
6 June 2022 ° C
Another country experiences a four-day weekly work
+ - 0 Read
70 British companies are planning to experiment with four days a week without cutting the wages of their more than 3,000 workers.
The BBC said the four-day trial would last for six months, which organisers consider to be the largest four-day trial run anywhere in the world.
Companies are slated to offer 100% of their pay despite cutting working hours to 80%, but companies are required to commit to maintaining at least 100% of their productivity.
Academics from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are overseeing the experiment as well as experts at Boston College in the United States in partnership with the Autonomy Research Center.
Participating companies offer products and services ranging from education to consulting services, and researchers will work with each participating organization to measure the impact on productivity and well-being of their workers, as well as impact on the environment and gender equality.
Share your opinion

- Business interest is increasing worldwide, with media and academic attention reinforcing the momentum for broader adoption.

**Bottom Line:**
The 4-day workweek is gathering empirical support as a means to enhance productivity and well-being, though it presents industry-specific challenges and equity considerations.

Title:

Content: Four working days a week increases profits and improves workers ’ health
T + T - normal size
Researchers have found that the four-day workweek system tested by British companies with about 2,900 employees not only saves workers from fatigue and disease, but is also good for the work itself, as it does not lead to lower profits, but increases them.
Therefore, most of the companies that tested it plan to continue working with it, according to Russia Today.
The researchers surveyed employees regularly and periodically to assess the impact of the extra day off on their lives.
The workers stressed that currently they rarely suffer from anxiety and that their mental health has improved significantly.
Print Email

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

The productivity  increased
The employees were happier

What did Labor economist Jonathan Boys say about 4-day workweek?

Education industriy may face more problems.

Food and beverage industry may face more problems.

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Ongoing experiments and legislative efforts will shape whether and how this model can be widely and fairly implemented across global labor markets.

Title:

Content: Internationalisms
US congressman: 32 hours a week is key to happiness
California Rep. Mark Takano has again submitted to Congress his bill, which would impose 32 hours of work a week in the United States, to become a federal labor law.
Once passed, the number of working hours per week in the United States would be reduced from 40 to 32.
The law also includes a proposal for overtime pay for any work done after 32 hours, which will encourage companies to pay extra salaries to employees working longer hours, and encourage companies to hire more people.
The bill applies to workers in fields such as entertainment, hospitality, transportation, construction, manufacturing, wholesale and retail.
Insisting on the bill after it was first introduced in 2021, Takano told CNBC Make It that he wanted to stimulate debate in order to benefit and protect all workers as well as enhance their happiness and achieve what he called “social justice. ”
Nearly 3,000 UK workers from 61 companies have recently been experimented with four days a week for six months, with positive results including improved productivity, revenue, morale and team culture, as well as improved employee health and personal lives.
Related Articles
Go to the top button

**Key Summaries on the Four-Day (3-days off) Workweek Trend:**

1.

Title:

Content: UK companies test "4-day working week" workers generally agree that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages 51% permanent implementation
Author: Zhang Zijie
Published: Updated:
A number of UK companies are participating in a four-day workweek pilot scheme in the second half of 2022, with media reporting that most of the participating companies continue to allow employees to work fewer hours per week, and more than half of the companies have made the arrangement a regular measure.
The United Kingdom has 61 companies from marketing, professional services, non-profit organizations, construction, manufacturing, retail, health care, art and other industries, employees from June to December 2022, participate in the four-day work week, pay and performance of the same trial.
British citizens walk through the Canary Wharf Financial District on August 3, 2023. (Reuters)
As of the end of 2023, at least 89% of participating companies continued to maintain the measure, and at least 51% permanently implemented the measure, according to a report published by Autonomy, a think-tank that conducted the research.
The study found that shortening work hours generally benefits employees and businesses, who feel that their mental and physical health has improved, as well as a better balance between work and life, a better life, and less fatigue from work.
In addition, the managers and CEOs of the 28 participating companies unanimously agreed that the four-day work week has had a positive impact on the company, reducing staff wastage, significantly improving recruitment, and benefiting employees physically and mentally.
Sixty-one companies from different industries in the UK piloted a four-day work week in 2022, and the results were generally positive.
People enjoy a view of the City of London on 23 September 2023.
(Reuters)
The study, which listed a number of ways to maintain a four-day work week, including safety changes such as meetings, workplace communication, and work priorities, found that the improvements felt by employees continued for a year after the trial ended.
Researchers at Boston College, Cambridge, and Oxford University believe that the key to the strength of the data is not the rare or short-term impact, but the real and long-term impact.
Therefore, the four-day work week is not a flash in the sky, and British companies have succeeded in turning it into a permanent and effective measure.
Is the overall efficiency of returning less than one day of work declining instead of rising?
Click to learn more ▼ ▼ ▼
+ 16

**Origins and Rationale**
   - The "three days off" or four-day workweek concept was popularized by New Zealand entrepreneur Andrew Barnes, who was influenced by research showing low actual productivity within an eight-hour workday.

Title:

Content: 3 days a week is a trust war between employers and employees!
Journalist Ho Che-hsin / Feature article
The government will respond by June 26 to the public ’ s proposal to make Taiwan the first country in Asia to take a three-day weekend off, which has already been endorsed by more than 5,000 people.
However, in fact, in order to achieve the goal of three days of weekly rest, the role of the government is not important, the focus is on the communication between employers and employees, enhance work efficiency, the company's revenue is not affected, if the trust between employers and employees is insufficient, hastily take three days off each week, will only perish in the embarrassing situation of workers' disgrace and employers' anger, which will not help to increase labor rights and harmonious labor.
This is an advertisement, please continue reading.
The concept of "three days off" was first proposed by New Zealand entrepreneur Barnes, who saw a study in The Economist that "workers who take two days off and work eight hours a day are only 1.5 to 2.5 hours a day productive." Workers can also take an extra day off each week to have time to rest or do what they want, which is good for both employers and employees, so why insist on working five days a week?
As a result, Barnes began to advocate his ideas, and worked with the British non-profit organization 4 Day Week Global, among others, to conduct experiments in the United Kingdom.
Gradually, the idea of a three-day weekend became popular in Europe and spread to other countries around the world.
Barnes also wrote his experience as a "three-day weekend revolution" book, hoping that more and more companies will be willing to promote three-day weekend.
However, Barnes clearly mentioned in the beginning of the book that the three-day weekend must be a policy that can be completed by the cooperation of both employers and employees.
First of all, workers must first clarify themselves, their weekday work, whether they often encounter what will hinder the work efficiency of the trivial matters? Such as meaningless meetings, gossip chat in the tea room for too long, or lazy Internet browsing, etc., since you want to increase the daily work efficiency, you must first set goals, how to reduce these interference, so that the original five-day work can be completed in four days.
For the employer, if you are willing to give employees an extra day of leave, you must first ensure that the weekly working hours will not increase, and other working days, you can still work on time without overtime.
Otherwise, to work five days a week, eight hours a day, to work four days a week, 10 hours a day, this will also let the workers lose the incentive to this policy.
But even if the employer is willing to take three days off a week, willing to empower the worker to decide their own performance, but the enterprise is still for profit after all, if because the worker takes an extra day off, resulting in a reduction in corporate revenue, or customer complaints increase, such an extra day of leave, it is not feasible.
In addition, workers must also remember that this is the result of coordination between employers and employees, but if the employee finds that the efficiency of the employee has not improved after four days of work per week, at least compared to the efficiency of the employee working for five days, then the employer also has the right to refuse to implement a three-day weekly rest.
Weekly rest three days is the result of each enterprise, labor and capital to communicate with each other, so it is not necessarily a company to be fully implemented within the company, the willingness of both labor and capital is the most important, if the labor is unwilling to cooperate, or the supervisor has doubts, you can also be promoted by some departments first, and weekly rest three days are not mandatory to take three days off at the weekend, otherwise there are fewer rotating staff, which has an impact on the company's operations.
In short, the three-day weekend is a result that can only be achieved after both employers and employees are willing to push each other to come up with a viable alternative.
If implemented smoothly, workers take an extra day off, they can have more time to rest, so that they can be physically and mentally rejuvenated, and they can have more time to spend with their families, which can help increase the marriage rate and fertility rate.
But most workers are still worried that an extra day of leave may reduce their income, and even this day of leave does not know what to do, so it is better to keep working five days a week.
This is also a problem that European and American countries often encounter in the early days of promoting the three-day weekend. Sometimes the workers themselves are unwilling, or can not guarantee that the work efficiency will not be affected by less than one day of work, so that the management will not implement the three-day weekend.
In other words, although in order to live, everyone must work, but work is not the whole of life, with the progress of the times, everyone should pay more attention to their labor rights, the right to decide more rest, the right to value their own health, the right to spend more time on themselves, rather than just work.
Back to the network.
It can be imagined that when there is no consensus between employers and employees, everyone will expect the Government to set the standards.
But different industries are different, how each worker tries to increase their work efficiency, the method is also different, it is difficult for the government to uniformly set standards, and it is impossible to force enterprises to comply with, otherwise it will be punished, after all, the operation of each enterprise is not the same.
Therefore, before discussing "three days off week", it is more important that employees and employees should clearly express their position, why do employees want to take one more day off, how do employers ensure that taking one more day will not harm the interests of the company?
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Which company in New Zealand implemented 4-day workweek?

The idea is that both employers and employees mutually benefit from rethinking traditional schedules to maximize productivity and well-being.

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Increase in employee and customer satisfaction.

**Employee Concerns**
   - Many workers are apprehensive about the risk of reduced pay with shorter workweeks and are uncertain about how to utilize extra free time, preferring familiar five-day patterns unless income and security are assured.

Many look to governments to provide policy direction or mandates regarding work hour reductions.

Title:

Content: [Retain talent] Enterprise test 4 days a week production efficiency improvement of employees: work pressure reduction and health improvement
Stock Market 07: 41 2023 / 02 / 22
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[Retain talent] Enterprise test 4 days a week production efficiency improvement
Do you want to work four days a week?
According to the Wall Street Journal, most of the British companies participating in the four-day work week test said that after six months of testing, the staff turnover rate and absenteeism rate fell sharply, which is the largest four-day work week test to date. 61 companies, including banks, fast food restaurants, marketing consultants, etc., involved 2900 employees. Eighteen companies said they would permanently implement the four-day workweek.
For decades, the market has been exploring the idea of working less than five days a week, or 40 hours a week, which has become a new opportunity under the pandemic, as home-based and mixed-work arrangements have become more widely accepted, and employers have also taken the opportunity to explore whether shortening work hours can improve employee happiness and loyalty.
Working days have become a retention and recruitment issue
Juliet Schor, an economist and sociologist at Boston College, said that it was initially due to the mental fatigue of wage earners during the epidemic, but it has now become a retention and recruitment problem.
Her team has helped conduct research around the world on a four-day workweek, including researchers from the UK think tank Autonomy and the University of Cambridge.
The research is being conducted around the world. Small tests in the United States and Canada are being led by research institutes in the United Kingdom, and similar tests are being conducted in Australia and Brazil. Unilever, an internationally renowned consumer goods company, is also participating in the tests.
Testing in Iceland, involving more than 2,500 employees in various industries, researchers found that most employees maintained or increased productivity, as well as reduced work stress.
Most companies that try 4-day work are small employers
Since most of the companies experimenting with four-day work are small employers, many large companies have yet to embrace the concept.
In the test, some employees reported that it was difficult to complete all the work during this time.
In a study conducted in the UK from June to November, most employees did not increase their work intensity, but bosses held fewer meetings to give employees more time to get their work done.
Finally, employers rated employee productivity and performance on an average of 7.5 on a scale from 0 (very negative) to 10 (very positive), and at half of the test, 46% of companies said their business productivity remained unchanged, while 34% reported a slight improvement and 15% reported a significant improvement.
20% of your time is wasted on unnecessary meetings
On the other hand, 39% of employees reported less stress at work, but half of employees reported no change in their index.
Nearly half of employees reported improved mental health and 37% reported improved physical health.
Claire Daniels, CEO of Trio Media, a digital marketing company with 13 employees in the UK, said she took part in the trial to see if she could improve productivity.
Before the test began, she analyzed with employees that 20% of their time was wasted on unnecessary meetings, business trips, and other inefficiencies.
"Very soon, we will know that we do not have to do any extra work in these four days," she said.
The productivity of the 4-day work was flat or slightly improved from the same period last year
Daniels pointed out that she would have employees work from Monday to Thursday, and Tuesday to Friday, and have employees take extra places to follow up on their colleagues ’ work during the holidays.
No longer do marathon daily team meetings with employees, in longer meetings involving customers and multiple presentations, employees will only attend part of the meeting based on necessity and then leave.
The hardest part, she says, is for employees to make sure they don ’ t go back to their old work mindset or habits. Overall, productivity was flat or slightly higher compared to the same period last year, with revenue up 47%.
She wants to continue experimenting for another six months before making a permanent change, “but I don ’ t think we ’ re going to go back to the typical five-day week. ”
If the four-day work week can improve production efficiency and the employees are happy, the bosses think that they can give it a try, or they think that the workload of five days can be completed in four days, so that the employees can continue to overcomplete their work on the fifth day.
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