No Canadian companies involved in a shortened workweek trial intend to revert back to a five-day week, new research from 4 Day Week Global shows.
It literally benefits everyone.
How many hours each day do people take to “wake up” and get going? I’d argue people are mostly useless up until close to lunch time. Then, people wind down when the day end is nearing, meaning companies are losing more productive hours each week.
I also would prefer to do longer days if I already dragged my ass out of bed. I don’t run for errands daily to make them shorter. I pile them up, then take 4-5 hours one day, vs 1 hour each day. I am already out doing it, might as well do them all, and have more time to relax at home other days.
Summary of the actual report. You can download it for the price of your email address.
The report presented by 4 Day Week Global evaluates the impacts of a reduced four-day work week over a span of one year. Key findings are as follows:
Employee working hours reduced closer to a target of 32 hours a week after a year, and they were found to work more efficiently. While burnout levels slightly increased after the six-month trial, overall improvement was sustained. Physical and mental health scores, life satisfaction, and work-life balance all improved from the beginning of the trial to 12 months after. Job satisfaction saw a slight regression after 12 months but still remained higher than before the trial. The overall experience of the 4-day week was highly positive with a 9/10 rating, suggesting that reduced work time benefits can be sustained long-term. The report also includes data from businesses in the US, Canada, the UK, and Ireland. The program’s design allowed companies to adopt the 4-day week without a specific model, as long as pay was maintained at 100% and employees saw a significant reduction in work time. Notably, none of the participating companies desired to return to a five-day week post-trial.
Additionally, the report indicates improved environmental outcomes, with a 42% increase in employees performing more environmentally friendly activities. Overall, the founders of 4 Day Week Global express enthusiasm for these positive results and the potential widespread adoption of a 4-day work week.
Any list of companies? I would send in a resume. Especially if they are also fully remote.
Office workers aren’t very productive in general. We should focus on greater automation.
I’m an office worker. I work on automation.
Where’s that leave me? Who automates the automaters?
Also, from the office work I’ve seen, and compared against WFH, I’d agree to SOME reduced productivity - like 20% - but which is regained by allowing experienced people clear work time without interruption (which we get in remote work). The other 80% may actually be difficult to automate as trivially as required for any gains here.
Is this
- cheesy 4-day weeks where it’s 4 days x 10 hours; or
- real 4-day weeks where it’s 32 hours a week and no reduction in pay or production?
I’m gonna read the article now, but I’m really expecting to be disappointed. 4-day workweek isn’t about job-sharing; it’s about realizing the same output with longer weekends and everyone getting the same pay for the same output.
