# Comprehensive Report: Benefits and Barriers of a 4-Day Workweek

## Executive Summary

This report examines the global trend toward a 4-day workweek, analyzing its reported benefits in terms of productivity and work-life balance, as well as implementation challenges across different industries and countries.

Based on multiple case studies and trials worldwide, the 4-day workweek shows promising results in employee well-being and productivity maintenance, though significant barriers to widespread adoption remain.

## Global Trend Overview

The 4-day workweek has gained substantial momentum as a progressive labor policy across multiple countries:

- **European Adoption**: The UK, Iceland, Belgium, and France have conducted or implemented various 4-day workweek models.

Atom Bank, a UK financial technology company, has implemented a 4-day workweek without reducing pay for 430 employees.

- **Iceland's Pioneering Trials**: Between 2015-2019, Iceland conducted extensive trials with 2,500 workers (over 1% of the country's workforce), testing reduced hours without pay reduction.

- **Asia-Pacific Experiments**: New Zealand's Perpetual Guardian implemented an even more radical approach with employees working just 3 days while maintaining full pay.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong maintains one of the longest work weeks globally, with a median of 45 hours.

- **Government Initiatives**: Scotland has launched pilot programs with public sector workers, implementing a 32-hour week without loss of pay.

## Documented Benefits

### Productivity Improvements

Contrary to concerns about reduced output, multiple studies demonstrate maintained or increased productivity:

- Iceland's trials found that "most participants' productivity remained the same or even improved" despite reducing weekly hours from 40 to 35-36.

- Perpetual Guardian in New Zealand reported a remarkable 20% increase in productivity after transitioning to a 3-day workweek with unchanged compensation.

- Canadian research found that 73% of peo

# Comprehensive Report: Benefits and Barriers of a 4-Day Workweek

## Executive Summary

This report examines the global trend toward a 4-day workweek, analyzing its reported benefits in terms of productivity and work-life balance, as well as implementation challenges across different industries and countries.

Title:

Content: New Zealand company employees' productivity is 20% higher than 4 days off
Reporters Pan Yi / Comprehensive Report
Recently, a public participation platform in the Public Policy Network proposed "Let Taiwan become the first country in Asia to take a three-day holiday". The proposal was successfully signed, and the government must respond by June 26.
This proposal also aroused different views from all walks of life. In this regard, Dr. Huang Xuan collated the research of various countries, and found that a New Zealand company experiment "week off 4 days" was successful, and the complete results were also exposed one by one.
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Critical care physician Huang Xuan shared on Facebook that the day off was created after the Industrial Revolution in 1900, and the day off was founded in 1926 by the founder of Ford Motor Company "Henry Ford" and has even more influence today.
The 40-hour workweek rule was enacted in 1938 in the United States.
In recent years, Western countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Iceland, Belgium and other countries have begun to conduct “three days off ” experiments, including Perpetual Guardian, a financial services company in New Zealand, which began in November 2018, its founder Andrew Barnes began to implement a more advanced“ four days off ” experiment.
Perpetual Guardian has 240 employees working just three days a week with no pay.
After a period of time, the researchers found that “employee productivity increased by about 20% ” and“ employee stress decreased from 45% to 38% ” after switching to three days of work per week.
The score for work-life balance also increased from 54% to 78% ” and also improved employees ’ “all positive related scores for leadership, excitement, confidence, and sense of responsibility ”
After the data was shared, Andrew Barnes decided to officially change the company to “four days off ” and founded the organization“ 4 Day Week Global ” to promote the benefits of the holiday and hope to make an impact internationally.
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Title:

Content: [Workplace benefits] British Bank changed to 4 days of work artificial unchanged CEO: 5 days of work is a product of the 19th century
Personal Value Added 18: 50 2021 / 12 / 07
Share:
When Hong Kong people were still working nine nights, seven days a week, five days a week, or even six days a week, some banks in the United Kingdom had already started to work four days a week.
Portugal ’ s new remote work law prohibits employers from contacting employees during off-hours: Click here
Atom Bank, a fintech bank in the United Kingdom, recently announced that it will let employees choose whether to work four days a week, and said that the company will not reduce employee pay, which is expected to benefit 430 employees.
However, under the four-day work, although the total working hours per week will be reduced from 37.5 hours to 34 hours, the daily working hours of employees will be extended by one hour to compensate for the extra day of vacation, that is, the daily working hours of employees will be increased from 7.5 hours to 8.5 hours.
According to Mark Mullen, CEO of Atom Bank, five-day work was an industrial necessity in the 19th century, and it is now obsolete. As the epidemic has completely changed the working model of many employees, companies have begun to consider how they can work more efficiently, healthily and happily, and in addition to promoting working from home, reducing the number of working days and hours is one of the new norm.
Iceland Trials 4-Day Job Productivity to Rise
In fact, four-day work is not new, there have been companies in the past, but mainly in European countries, and many people have questioned whether four-day work is more efficient than five-day work.
In the early days of Iceland, a pilot scheme was conducted between 2015 and 2019 to test whether a reduction in working days would lead to higher productivity, with 2,500 participants across pre-school education, social services, health care and office white-collar workers, accounting for more than 1% of the Icelandic workforce.
The testers worked 4 days on a trial basis, and the work week was reduced from 40 hours to 35 to 36 hours.
It was found that the productivity of most of the testers who adopted the four-day work system remained unchanged or even improved.
Lidl is the UK ’ s highest paid supermarket: Click Here
The median working week in Hong Kong is 45 hours.
According to the Quarterly Report of the General Household Survey for the third quarter of 2021 released by the Government, the median number of working hours per week for wage earners in Hong Kong is 45 hours, which is 10 hours more than in Iceland.
US mobile security technology company KISI earlier released the "2021 work-life balance city ranking", Hong Kong ranked 45th out of 50 statistical places, is the largest city in the world in the statistics of overworked population, nearly 3 adults appear overworked.
Hong Kong people are known to love to work again, do you think it is possible to implement a four-day work in Hong Kong?
Editor-in-Chief: Yan Heiman
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Title:

Content: There were 840 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 328,388 in the last 365 days.

Discover How To 10x Productivity While Working 12-18 Hours Less Per Week

In a world that is constantly moving, it can be tough to find time for the things that are important to us. Between work, family, and social obligations, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. However, productivity is the key to getting more out of our time.

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Website:https://www.domorebetter.ie/

Title:

Content: The company switched to 4 days work week 20% off food wage earners praise the netizens worry about 1 thing
Author: Anzuna
Published: Updated:
In recent years, many young people pursue a work-life balance and are reluctant to devote all their time and energy to their careers.
Some employees who have worked in the electronic parts logistics warehouse for more than 5 years said in a message that the company has not improved business since the switch. Earlier, they announced that they will change to a four-day working week, and their salaries will be paid at 20%.
As for the "pay cut and leave" arrangement, the employees were not surprised or helpless, but accepted it willingly, and showed that they would use their free time to find a new job or work as a part-time driver.
However, some netizens pointed out that the sudden decline in income may affect life, and it is recommended that the landlord consider it clearly.
A wage earner who has worked in the electronic parts logistics warehouse for more than 5 years said in a post that the company had announced that it would switch to a four-day working week, and the salary would be paid at a 20% discount.
“The company just announced that it will only take four days a week from next month.
"The wage earner posted in the discussion area, said that in an electronic parts logistics warehouse for more than 5 years, learned that since the switch the company business has not improved, the boss had to, decided to implement 4 days of work, 20% of the food arrangement," with the boss for more than five years, clear he is a person, the current situation is not what he wants ".
The employees were not surprised by the company's decision, saying bluntly that "it should be a business with no future", estimating that the boss can only continue to operate for 1 to 2 years, and that "now the mentality is riding cattle to find a horse", will use the extra rest time to find a new job, or as a part-time network driver, "I believe to start looking for a job, but it is better to be laid off at the end of the year."
"Today's economic environment, I am also very accepting, if half price I must not accept", and even think that there will be more companies to imitate, "I think the 4-day work will have a chance to become popular in the future, in fact, are almost flexible, now the more I want to feel better."
Employees are not surprised by the company 's arrangement, and plan to use the extra rest time to find a new job, or to work as part-time network car drivers.
Some people think that the landlord can make good use of the extra 1 day of vacation to enjoy private time, or do part-time to help supplement income, "do not make the day of work, you can go back part time, speculation are very short of people", "It is better to go back 4 days, you can have 3 days to go out to speculate, help make up some pocket money", "although there is less labor, but more time, but not necessarily their own time, It's a bad thing."
However, some people pointed out that the income suddenly decreased or affected life, the building owner considered clearly before deciding whether to continue to stay, "It reduces your labor to 20% of the labor, you can not get enough of yourself", "If you are confident you can find a job, go away; if you are not confident, stay", "superficially fair, actually want the staff prophet.
I ’ ll wait until it gets better or worse. ”

Title:

Content: Scottish public sector workers have started working a four-day week to test whether the practice could be rolled out country-wide.

The Scottish Government confirmed a pilot was underway involving around 140 staff at South of Scotland Enterprise doing a 32-hour week without loss of pay.

Although this represents only three hours less per week, the shift to four day working is seen as key to changing people's work-life balance.

The move follows Humza Yousaf announcing the experiment as part of his Programme for Government last September.

It was confirmed in a written parliamentary answer by economy secretary Neil Gray.

He said: “Work has commenced on the 4 Day Working Week Public Sector Pilot to assess the wellbeing, environmental and productivity benefits a 4 Day Working Week could bring.

“We have appointed [think tank] Autonomy as our expert partner to support the pilot.

“The team involved in this project have previous 4 Day Working Week pilot experience including from the Valencian Government pilot, and the Icelandic public sector pilot.

“The South of Scotland Enterprise 4 Day Working Week pathfinder work is being folded into Autonomy’s methodology, and engagement will continue with other public bodies interested in participating in the 32-hour working week pilot.

“Autonomy will also provide support and evaluate organisations moving to a contractual 35 hour working week.

“This will capture valuable insights from a wider range of public bodies on different shorter work week models and be included in the 4 Day Working Week evaluation report.”

READ MORE: Jason Leitch confirms he wiped pandemic WhatsApp messages

The pilot is expected to run around 12 months to see if it can extended across the Scottish public sector and inspire the private sector to adopt it.

In 2022, a six-month pilot involving 61 companies employing 2,900 people in the UK ended with 56 of the firms reporting they would continue with the system, 18 permanently.

Employees reported feeling less stressed, anxious, fatigued and sleepless afterwards, while company revenues stayed broadly the same or higher.

Almost one in six employees said they would not accept a return to a five-day week.

Green MSP Ross Greer, whose question elicited the information, said normalising a four-day working week with no loss of pay would transform workers’ health and wellbeing.

Mr Greer, whose party has had a four-day week for staff since 2022, said: “The four-day working week has a transformative impact on work-life balance, health and happiness.

“It means people can spend more time with their families, friends and loved ones and it helps employers retain staff and boost productivity.

“We have seen the benefits for ourselves, including better job satisfaction and a reduction in stress. The Scottish Government is rightly leading by example with these pilots.

“They will provide a lot of useful evidence and lessons which will in turn help other sectors and businesses to make the shift.”

READ MORE: Sturgeon blasted Aberdeen FC  Covid statement ‘abomination’

Will Stronge, Director of Research at Autonomy, said: “We're very pleased to be working with the Scottish Government on this historic trial.

“Alongside those who are already underway with the pilot and others who have already expressed interest, we will be looking to sign up a number of public sector organisations as the year progresses.

“A four-day week with no loss of pay has been trialled extensively across the private sector and parts of the public sector to great success: it’s important that we find out if it can also work in public sector organisations in Scotland.”

Joe Ryle, Director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, added: “Numerous trials and pilots from across the world have shown that a four-day week with no loss of pay increases productivity and improves work-life balance.

“It is working extremely well for many businesses in the private sector so it's only right and fair to see if those benefits can be applied to the public sector.

“One hundred years ago we moved from a six-day week to a five-day week. It's great to see Scotland now leading the charge towards a four-day week."

Title:

Content: DH Latest NewsDH NEWSLatest NewsNEWS

India’s new labour codes likely in 2022; 4-day work-week, reduced salary and more

According to a senior official, the four labour regulations covering salary, social security, occupational safety, industrial relations, health and working conditions are expected to be enacted by the following fiscal year. Working hours, wage restructure, and PF contribution, to name a few, would all be affected by the new wage law once it is enacted. At least 13 states have pre-published draft rules on these laws, according to the official, and the Centre completed the process of finalising the draft regulations on these codes in February 2021.

The central government announced 4 labour rules on August 8, 2019: the Code on Social Security, the Industrial Relations Code,2020, the Wage code, 2019 and the Code on Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions, 2020. Because labour is a concurrent subject, the Centre wants the states to accept it all at once, according to the source. Employees’ take-home pay for the following fiscal year, i.e. April 2021, may be reduced as a result of the government’s Code on Wages, however components such as PF and Gratuity may increase. This is because the new pay rule stipulates that an employee’s basic income must equal at least 50% of their net monthly CTC. As a result, if this provision is implemented, employees will be unable to earn more than 50% of their net monthly compensation in the form of an allowance. As a result, the employee’s gratuity and PF payment are likely to increase. As a result, while employees’ take-home pay may decrease, the Gratuity and PF component of their salary may increase.

Experts believe that the new draft will have an impact on employees’ working hours, with some news sources reporting that employees may be allowed a four-day workweek starting next year, however they will be required to work for 12 hours on those four days. The ministry of labour appears to have said unequivocally that a minimum of 48 hours weekly work is required.

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Title:

Content: Work life

Summer Fridays walked so the four-day workweek could run

Employees are now in favor of flexibility over temporary time off.

· 3 min read

Level up your career and your life with Sidekick

Career advice, productivity hacks, entertainment, and more. If it’s worth your time, it’s in here.

What’s top of mind at the water cooler.

The legend of the Summer Friday: Once upon a time, for three sacred months every year between Memorial Day and Labor Day, employees were allowed to clock out after lunch every Friday and head immediately to the bar.

It’s said that the tradition started in NYC in the ’60s as companies searched for ways to boost employee productivity and morale during the summer months. (There’s even a brand named after it!) If you were lucky enough to work somewhere that offered this perk (usually publishing or advertising), your weekend started with midday happy hours and early bird beach days while friends at less generous corporations smoldered with jealousy.

But with the push toward remote work, Summer Fridays have become a ghost of workplace past as they may have ushered in something even better: the four-day workweek.

As companies scrambled to deal with office closures during the pandemic, most work suddenly became remote. Facing Covid variant after variant and a resistance to returning to the office, some employers like tech companies Bolt and Buffer opted to permanently remove a day from the workweek to better suit employee needs. A jumbo Summer Friday! Perfect, right?

Unfortunately, the exact logistics of the four-day workweek have been tricky. Who can and can’t participate? Does the four-day workweek mean longer working hours? What happens if there’s still work to be done once Friday rolls around?

To get some insight, Sidekick spoke with Alicia Garcia, chief culture officer at MasterControl and Jes Osrow, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) expert and founder of The Rise Journey consultancy, who had these thoughts to share:

  • Fixed schedules ≠ productivity. While a five-day, nine-to-five workweek has worked for most US-based companies, that doesn’t mean employees produce their best work during that time.
  • Flexibility is king. “The biggest issue with policies like the four-day workweek or Summer Fridays is that they’re still rigid. Whether it’s a four-day or five-day workweek, the exact days and times employees are required to work are fixed…When approached by employees, the most common request is ‘flexibility,’” said Garcia.
  • Flexibility isn’t an option for everyone. “We’re not thinking about essential workers, we’re not thinking about folks on the ground, and we’re not thinking about grocery store owners. It’s important to recognize that even though we do talk the big talk about a four-day workweek, it only applies to a small fraction of workers in the US and/or globally,” Osrow explained.

As the highly discussed ✨future of work✨ continues to develop, employees are looking for more flexibility. Whether that means working remotely from far-flung corners of the world or logging off a little early to go pick your children up from daycare—employers should take notes, not dictate them.—MW

Level up your career and your life with Sidekick

Career advice, productivity hacks, entertainment, and more. If it’s worth your time, it’s in here.

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.
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Title:

Content: MOSCOW, 18 Aug — PRIME.
Russians should forget about the four-day work week.
So said in an interview with “Izvestia ” the head of the HRC Valery Fadeev.
He believes that it is necessary to work more, and not to rest, because work is the main thing in a person ’ s life, and it should bring joy.
Fadeev believes that recently in the country too much talk about the reduction of the working week and holidays.
The head of the HRC stressed that he is not against rest, but the trend should be in the other direction.
Recall that for the first time about the possible reduction of the working week in 2019 spoke the head of the Russian government Dmitry Medvedev.
The Federation of Independent Trade Unions then noted that they were ready to discuss the initiative, but so far more important topics are in priority.

Title:

Content: Rise of the four day week? Bank becomes largest British company to slash hours for staff

DIGITAL bank Atom has become the largest company in the UK to introduce a four day week without cutting pay for any of its staff.

Link copied

Home working is ‘regressive’ for women claims Rachel Johnson

The app based bank has confirmed it introduced the new four day week on November 1 for all of its 430 employees with the majority choosing to adopt it. Previously Atom employees worked a 37.5 hour week across five days but this will now reduce to a 34 hour week spread over four days. Staff taking up the reduced hours option will see their shifts lengthen slightly, working 8.5 hours instead of 7.5. It is expected most employees will take Monday or Friday as the default day off apart from those in operational or services roles whose days will vary to allow seven day a week customer support. Mark Mullen, CEO of Atom, explained experiences during the pandemic had "exploded many of the myths of the modern workplace" with changes not needing to stop at working from home.

Mr Mullen said: “A four-day week will provide our employees with more opportunities to pursue their passions, spend time with their families, and build a healthier work/life balance.

"We firmly believe that this will prove beneficial for our employees’ wellbeing and happiness and that it will have an equally positive impact on business productivity and customer experience."

Ben Willmott, Head of Public Policy at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development cautioned a shorter working week would only be sustainable by smarter working to improve productivity.

Mr Willmott explained: "“It is undoubtedly a positive move for employers to seek to reduce people's working hours without compromising pay.

"However, the challenge of simply reducing people’s working hours without other changes is that you can increase exposure to work intensity and stress, which is already one of the main causes of working time lost to sickness absence."

Workers will see hours cut but not salaries (Image: Getty)

Atom CEO Mark Mullen (Image: Atom )

Atom points to the evolving history of working patterns as evidence for the need to change.

The standard five day working week was first popularised by US carmaker Henry Ford in the 1920s and subsequently taken up by Boots in the UK in 1934.

From there most other companies began to follow suit whereas previously a six day week had been more common.

In Iceland a trial was run by Reykjavik City Council this year to introduce four day weeks to workplaces such as preschools, social services and hospitals.

The five day week was introduced by carmaker Henry Ford in the 1920s (Image: Getty)

Widely reported to be a success trials are also now taking place by consumer giant Unilever in New Zealand.

The idea of a four day week has not always worked for all sectors though.

In 2019 the Wellcome trust shelved its plans to try out four day working after concluding it was "too operationally complex to implement."

Mr Mullen commented: “While we appreciate a four-day working week will not be right for all workplaces, the move to working from home has proved that working practices that may have seemed years away can be introduced rapidly."

"We are proud to be one of the first businesses to introduce a four-day week for all our employees, and we hope many others follow suit."

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Iceland has been trialling a four day week (Image: Getty)

As well as benefits to employee welfare Atom also believe a shorter working week could reduce the environmental impact of companies.

The group cites a 2021 study by environmental organisation Platform London which found a UK wide switch to four day working by 2025 could lower CO2 emissions by over 20 percent.

Atom was launched in 2016 as the UK's first app based bank offering savings accounts, mortgages and business loans.

Title:

Content: To increase productivity and employment...
The first European country to adopt a 6-day working week
Miscellaneous
2024-07-03 | 12: 26
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To increase productivity and employment...
The first European country to adopt a 6-day working week
In a controversial move, Greece has offered a six-day work week to some companies aimed at boosting productivity and employment.
The move goes against the global trend toward exploring a shorter working week, and the regulation came into effect on July 1.
Under the new legislation, passed last year as part of a broader set of labor laws, employees of private companies working around the clock can choose to work an extra two hours a day or an extra eight hours a week.
This means that the traditional 40-hour work week can be extended to 48 hours per week for some companies.
However, the initiative does not include food service and tourism workers.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ’ pro-business government said the measure was “deeply growth-oriented ”.
It is intended to support employees who do not receive adequate compensation for overtime and help eliminate the problem of undeclared work.
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What challenges will the companies with diverse workforce have for implementing 4-day workweek??

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Complicated to roll out for large companies

Based on multiple case studies and trials worldwide, the 4-day workweek shows promising results in employee well-being and productivity maintenance, though significant barriers to widespread adoption remain.

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

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

Complicated to roll out for large companies

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.

## Global Trend Overview

The 4-day workweek has gained substantial momentum as a progressive labor policy across multiple countries:

- **European Adoption**: The UK, Iceland, Belgium, and France have conducted or implemented various 4-day workweek models.

Atom Bank, a UK financial technology company, has implemented a 4-day workweek without reducing pay for 430 employees.

What companies are adopting 4-day workweek?

Mainly nonprofit and small tech companies under 1,000 employees

What companies are adopting 4-day workweek?

Mainly nonprofit and small tech companies under 1,000 employees

What companies are adopting 4-day workweek?

Mainly nonprofit and small tech companies under 1,000 employees

- **Iceland's Pioneering Trials**: Between 2015-2019, Iceland conducted extensive trials with 2,500 workers (over 1% of the country's workforce), testing reduced hours without pay reduction.

- **Asia-Pacific Experiments**: New Zealand's Perpetual Guardian implemented an even more radical approach with employees working just 3 days while maintaining full pay.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong maintains one of the longest work weeks globally, with a median of 45 hours.

- **Government Initiatives**: Scotland has launched pilot programs with public sector workers, implementing a 32-hour week without loss of pay.

## Documented Benefits

### Productivity Improvements

Contrary to concerns about reduced output, multiple studies demonstrate maintained or increased productivity:

- Iceland's trials found that "most participants' productivity remained the same or even improved" despite reducing weekly hours from 40 to 35-36.

- Perpetual Guardian in New Zealand reported a remarkable 20% increase in productivity after transitioning to a 3-day workweek with unchanged compensation.

- Canadian research found that 73% of peo

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Businesses, building owners, managers and workers in Canada and around the world are still adjusting to people working from home and spending only part of their time in the office. The big question now is how to make sure flexibility works – what makes people want to come to the office and be productive?

“We believe that the hybrid, flexible workplace is here to stay,” says Samantha Sannella, senior managing director and national lead, Total Workplace Canada at Cushman & Wakefield. “We know from our surveys that most people prefer the hybrid schedule and that it offers a work-life balance that mandated full-time-in-the-office solutions cannot.”

“We’re learning that there are certain measures that contribute to productivity,” she adds, pointing to the company’s proprietary research, XSF (Experience per Square Foot), which found that 73 per cent of people who work a hybrid schedule feel that they are more productive.

According to the September survey, ordering people to come to the office on certain days will not guarantee productivity, but there are other factors that can.

Rather than telling people what days to be at their desks, there’s a 65-per-cent greater likelihood that they will be more productive if it’s easy for them to connect with each other.

“Productivity is measured in many different ways,” says Roger Leggatt, executive vice-president and office tenant representation broker at Cushman & Wakefield in Vancouver.

“In-person meetings can be more productive than remote meetings because the situation is more natural,” he says. “There’s also the opportunity in offices for spur-of-the-moment huddles, which can create new ideas and innovation that would not have evolved from home.”

The XSF results indicate employees who have time to focus are 2.7 times more likely to be productive than those who don’t, says Ms. Sannella. The research also indicates that employees who can easily connect are 3.6 times more likely to be productive than those who cannot.

“This means that a balanced workplace that accommodates both the ability to focus and the ability to connect is the right solution,” she says. “Choice in a variety of spaces is ideal.”

In-person meetings can be more productive than remote meetings because the situation is more natural. There’s also the opportunity in offices for spur-of-the-moment huddles, which can create new ideas and innovation that would not have evolved from home.

Roger Leggatt, executive vice-president and office tenant representation broker, Vancouver, Cushman & Wakefield

For example, in an open-concept workplace, it may be good to add more focus rooms or a program that offers do-not-disturb visual cues.

“It’s also worth considering training employees about behaviour and interruptions in certain spaces and work situations,” Ms. Sannella adds.

According to the XSF research, it can be less complicated to minimize distractions at the office than at home, as there is less chance of being sidetracked by front-door deliveries, a barking dog, TV and electronic devices, or children asking for snacks in the middle of an online meeting.

Some people prefer the office to working from home, Mr. Leggatt says.

“There are a lot of demographic theories around this – workers with young families who need to avoid distractions or employees in their 20s who may live alone and desire the office connection and culture, as well as the improved productivity that’s tied to overall well-being,” he says.

The trend toward hybrid work is different from region to region across North America, says Ms. Sannella, adding that Toronto has been slower on the return-to-office uptake than most other major markets.

“We track mobility statistics and can see prepandemic and postpandemic shifts over time. Downtown Toronto’s office vacancy rate has increased from around 1.9 per cent prepandemic to over 15 per cent postpandemic,” she says.

However, the current rate of 15.4 per cent is not entirely due to postpandemic behaviour, as Toronto’s increased vacancy is also due to 6.7 million square feet of newly opened office buildings since 2020.

“Toronto is one of the slowest markets to return back to the office across North America,” agrees Katya Shabanova, senior vice-president of office leasing, Toronto, at Cushman & Wakefield.

“However, over the past few months, we have seen a noticeable shift in executive leadership’s approach to working from home. Senior leaders across a number of industries are encouraging people to attend important meetings in person by limiting access to virtual links,” Ms. Shabanova says.

“The importance of in-person collaboration and mentorship is becoming clear among major Canadian firms,” she says. “Increasingly, leaders see the need for apprenticeship-based roles, involving senior professionals mentoring junior ones, to be physically present in the office. In-person transfer of knowledge and experience is proving to be invaluable and irreplaceable in certain industries.”

Vancouver is on a slightly different trajectory than Toronto, Mr. Leggatt says.

“It has always had a very livable downtown core,” he explains. “Living close to the office or having easy access by transit means employees are more likely to work from the office, as commute times seem to be a huge factor in office attendance. That has benefitted Vancouver’s office occupancy and overall vacancy rates compared with other major markets.”

Over the long term, XSF’s survey data points to a “flight-to-quality” trend in office space development and acquisition, a trend that started before the COVID-19 pandemic and has picked up steam since, Ms. Sannella says.

“There is no magic bullet for getting people back to the office, but there are things that can help,” she says. “For example, flight to quality is important, and more people than ever prefer work environments with unique amenities, interesting activities and convenient locations.”

Amenities include hospitality suites, gyms, meditation rooms, wellness spaces and buildings that use sustainability as a guiding principle, she says.

“Model suites, constructed by building owners, may benefit potential tenants who find current construction costs or onerous construction processes prohibitive,” she adds.

Even amidst corporate belt tightening, some companies are going above and beyond to obtain high-profile, available spaces not otherwise available during previous market cycles.

“Certainly, the overall flight to quality is one aspect driving this, but even tenants with existing lease commitments are considering relocation and subletting to secure an optimal space,” Mr. Leggatt says. “They weigh the cost of subletting and relocation versus the need to create an environment that is productive and conducive to bringing employees back.”

However, all workplaces are unique, Ms. Sannella adds, and, ultimately, employers and employees will have to find common ground.

“Many leaders like to see employees in the office, and many employees like the flexibility that a hybrid schedule offers,” she says. “Meeting in the middle is the likely solution for both.”

Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio with Cushman & Wakefield. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.

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Content: As more employers enact mandatory policies regarding in-office workdays, a new survey found that flexible work policies would impact whether the majority of Canadians remain in their current position or leave.

Cisco Canada released the findings from the second edition of its Hybrid Work Study on Thursday, conducted by Angus Reid. The survey found that 81 per cent of respondents indicated that flexible work policies would factor into their decision to stay or leave a job.

However, 61 per cent of employers are setting a compulsory number of days for their employees to be in the office. Additionally, 54 per cent of employers surveyed plan to or already have requested employees to return to the office more frequently.

“Canada continues to face a tight labour market, and a flexible and inclusive hybrid work model that meets people where they are and where they want to be supports recruitment, talent retention, and overall happiness and wellness,” said Shannon Leininger, the president of Cisco Canada, said in a news release Thursday.

The results indicated that flexibility in where employees work was a top concern, only surpassed by salary. Flexibility regarding the location an employee works was considered a top priority by 23 per cent of respondents when evaluating an employer, while a higher salary was considered a top priority by 34 per cent of those surveyed.

“The future of work is hybrid and global. Organizations that prioritize flexibility and choice as core business imperatives will reap the benefits,” Leininger said.

In total, 79 per cent of respondents indicated hybrid work has positively affected their work-life balance. The survey also found that 47 per cent of respondents said hybrid work has had a “very positive” impact on their work-life balance, representing a 16 per cent increase from 2021 figures.

CAREER PROGRESSION

Despite the preference for flexible working options among employees, some also indicated that being away from the office could negatively affect their careers.

The survey found that 38 per cent of workers frequently electing to be in-office said working in that setting would allow for more career growth opportunities. Additionally, 46 per cent of those choosing to be in-person said it would increase potential engagement with the corporate culture.

Despite fears from employees regarding their career growth in hybrid work settings, employer opinions differed. In total, 49 per cent of employers thought that prospects for career growth would be equal for those in the office and those working remotely, the survey found.

“Leaders and managers are critical to the success of hybrid work and need the proper tools and training to make it inclusive, equitable, and successful. It is incumbent on leaders to role model and define hybrid work for their teams because it is not a one-size-fits all approach,” Leininger said.

METHODOLOGY

Findings were gathered from two concurrent studies conducted by Agnostic on behalf of Cisco Canada. The first was conducted among Canadian business leaders and the other among remote and hybrid employees from Canadian businesses.

The employee study had a sample of 1,000 hybrid or mainly remote workers in Canada, conducted between Dec. 2-9, 2022. The employer study was conducted between Dec. 9-15, 2022, with a sample of 509 Canadian business owners, or senior decision makers, at organizations with at least 50 employees.