Working 4 days a week and getting paid for 5 sounds too good to be true, but more companies are entertaining the idea. Businesses around the world have trimmed their work week and have found that it leads to higher productivity and less burnout.
In New Zealand, trust company Perpetual Guardian reported a fall in stress and a jump in staff engagement after it tested a 32-hour week.
Britain’s Trades Union Congress is urging the entire country to move to a four-day week, a drive supported by the opposition Labour party.
The TUC thinks a shorter week is a way for workers to benefit from innovations in new technologies like machine learning and robotics, just as they won the right to the weekend off during the industrial revolution.
“It would reduce the stress of juggling working and family life and could improve gender equality. Companies that have already tried it say it’s better for productivity and staff wellbeing,” said TUC economic head Kate Bell.
A recent survey of 3,000 employees in eight countries including the United States, Britain, and Germany found that almost half thought they could finish their tasks in five hours a day if they did not have interruptions, but many are exceeding 40 hours a week anyway – with the United States leading the way, where 49 percent said they worked overtime.
