A New Dawn for Work

The world of work is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. We're seeing a surge in pandemic-fueled anxiety globally, with over half of US employees reporting high stress levels daily. This is leading to record job quits, averaging four million a month, as people experience profound burnout. In response to this pressing crisis, a growing movement is gaining momentum: the adoption of a four-day, 32-hour work week, crucially, with five days of pay. This isn't an entirely new concept, but the recent global health crisis has "turbocharged" its consideration, prompting employers to realise that rethinking where people work can also lead to rethinking how many days they work.

The compelling case for a four-day week lies in its potential to create a win-win-win scenario for workers, companies, and society at large.

Unlike policies that benefit one party at another's expense, the four-day week offers significant advantages across the board.

For Employees:

• They report being less stressed.

• They value their jobs more.

• They experience better lives outside of work.

• Many become "dramatically happier".

• It supports self-care and helps manage daily stresses from systemic issues like racism, sexism, and classism.

• It provides a whole day off for personal activities, which people prefer over fragmented downtime.

For Companies:

• They often see lower staff turnover.

• They attract a higher-quality applicant pool.

• Reduced burnout translates to lower healthcare costs, fewer mistakes, and improved service quality.

• Companies like Healthwise have reported decreased resignations and sick days, alongside revenue growth and outstanding customer satisfaction scores after implementing a four-day week.

For Society:

• It offers a pathway to addressing climate change.

• It can contribute to restoring the quality of life and social fabric, especially in wealthy countries where sufficient resources are already produced for a good standard of living.

But how can all this be achieved without sacrificing output?

One of the most remarkable findings is that in most cases, people are just as productive in four days as they are in five. This isn't magic; it's down to a crucial element: work reorganisation. The "secret sauce" is the willingness of employees to "squeeze all their productivity into four days" in return for the extra day off, meaning they're not necessarily doing less work, but working more efficiently.

Key strategies for achieving this include:

• Cutting out the least productive activities, with meetings being a prime target. Most companies reduce their frequency, length, and the number of attendees.

• Streamlining communication, for instance, by encouraging messaging over phone calls that often include social chatting.

• Shifting personal tasks, like doctor's appointments, to the new day off, preventing them from interrupting workdays.

• The pace of work at the office typically increases, as employees become more focused, consciously avoiding distractions like social media.

Evidence from various countries also suggests that with reduced work time, each hour often becomes more productive. Countries like Norway, Denmark, France, and Germany, which have shorter average working hours, demonstrate disproportionately high productivity. In contrast, countries with longer hours, such as the UK and Italy, often exhibit much lower productivity.

So, this isn't just theory; it's proven in practice around the globe.

Governments and companies worldwide have been experimenting with shorter hours and no cuts in pay for nearly a decade, yielding remarkable results.

Iceland's Triumph: Beginning in 2015, the city of Reykjavik and subsequently the National Government of Iceland piloted 36 and 35-hour weeks, eventually involving over 2,500 employees. The outcomes were impressive: physical and mental stress declined, while work ethic, job satisfaction, work-life balance, and energy levels all improved. Crucially, productivity and service quality either remained the same or got better, and the trial was revenue-neutral. Today, an astonishing 85% of all Icelandic employees are either on or eligible for these reduced schedules.

Sweden's Healthcare Innovation: In 2014, the city of Gothenburg in Sweden introduced a six-hour day for nurses at one of its facilities. As anticipated, the nurses' health and overall well-being significantly improved, as did their productivity and the quality of patient care. While this trial required hiring new staff to cover the hours, the striking finding was how much lower sick pay and unemployment benefits helped to offset those additional salaries.

Expanding Global Interest: The governments of Spain and Scotland have also announced four-day week trials, committing to subsidising the fifth day's pay. Beyond government initiatives, various sectors, including tech, banking, PR, marketing, design, nonprofits, consumer goods, and even a restaurant chain, are making the switch.

These successes highlight that reducing work time isn't just a dream, but a viable, beneficial reality.

Beyond the immediate workplace benefits, the four-day week offers a significant contribution to addressing the climate crisis.

Reduced Commuting: The most obvious impact is the reduction in daily commutes, leading to fewer vehicle emissions.

Decarbonisation Dynamic: If we consistently use productivity growth to reduce working hours by just a couple of percent annually, it can establish a longer-term dynamic of decarbonisation. Research consistently shows that when people are time-stressed, they often opt for faster, more polluting modes of travel and daily life activities. In contrast, when people are given time rather than just more money, they tend to have a lower carbon footprint.

Economic Scale and Emissions: The larger reason lies in the overall size of the economy. By choosing to work less, countries are implicitly opting not to expand production to its maximum capacity, thereby preventing additional emissions. Carbon-efficient countries like Germany and Denmark, as well as France and the Netherlands, typically have low annual working hours and low carbon footprints.

The four-day week is, in essence, a down payment on a more sustainable way of living and working.