The clamour for a shorter work week gained steam in 2019 after an experiment at Microsoft’s Japan offices found that cutting the work week to just four days actually bosted productivity by 40%.  A new paper from the non-profit Association for Sustainability and Democracy (Alda) and the think tank Autonomy lends its weight to the argument, and suggests that a 40-hour workweek is not only often unnecessary, but can also harm our wellbeing.

The report presents the findings from a huge 4-day-week trial that was held in Iceland between 2015 and 2019.  The scheme was unique in that over 1% of the country’s working population participated.  The experiment saw employees cut their hours by about 5 down to 35 hours a week instead of 40, with no commensurate reduction in pay.

The results suggest that productivity and services remained pretty much the same, or in some cases even improved, despite this reduction in hours.  What’s more, the wellbeing of employees rose considerably, with stress and burnout falling considerably.

“This study shows that the world’s largest ever trial of a shorter working week in the public sector was by all measures an overwhelming success,” the researchers say.” “It shows that the public sector is ripe for being a pioneer of shorter working weeks—and lessons can be learned for other governments.”

Going further

The authors argue that the Icelandic study was clearly showing the benefits of a reduced working week, but that further steps could be examined.  For instance, might similar gains be possible if the working week is reduced to 32 hours or less?

Unsurprisingly, the participants in the experiment were incredibly enthusiastic about it and would very much like to carry on with the four-day week.  The authors highlight that 86% of Iceland’s workforce currently work fewer hours or have the right to do so.

“Recognition of the coming impact of automation and technological change on our working lives, alongside a burgeoning desire to spend less time tied up in work has put a reduction in working hours firmly on the policy-making table,” they conclude. “The ongoing COVID pandemic has only accelerated this, fuelling rapid transitions to remote work, and unexpected increases in free time as workers have abandoned their commutes or found themselves placed on reduced working hours. It has become more and more clear that few wish to return to pre-pandemic working conditions: a desire for a reduced working week is set to define ‘the new normal.'”