Shortened workweek yields favorable outcomes
In a groundbreaking six-month trial, around 40 companies in Portugal tested the four-day work week. The researchers behind this study hailed from Boston University and University College Dublin.
The trial yielded positive results, with workers reporting a better balance between work, family, and personal life. Many workers also reported improved individual performance due to reduced hours. Even those with smaller reductions in hours experienced positive effects, albeit to a lesser degree.
Over 60% of workers in the Portuguese trial said they spent more time with their families. A separate survey by the Portuguese Industrial Association (AIP-CCI) found that 0% of businesses in sectors like retail, construction, and manufacturing oppose the introduction of a four-day work week.
These findings are not unique to Portugal. Studies across multiple countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, the United States, and Portugal, consistently find benefits such as reduced burnout, increased job satisfaction, improved mental and physical health, and sustained or increased productivity without a loss in pay.
Key findings from the largest multi-country trial involving nearly 2,900 employees at 141 companies over six months showed that moving to a four-day work week:
- Reduced worker stress and burnout while improving overall well-being, including mental health and physical health.
- Led employees to feel more satisfied with their job performance without needing to increase work intensity during fewer working days.
- Resulted in productivity and revenue growth for organizations, with no participating company opposing continuation of the four-day week after the trial period.
- Encouraged companies to restructure workflows to eliminate time-wasting activities, enabling about 80% productivity relative to previous schedules despite fewer hours worked.
Industry experiences reinforce these research results. For example, in the UK, after a 2022 study, 89% of participating companies chose to continue the four-day week, with 82% reporting positive effects on staff well-being.
The four-day week is seen as a solution to rising burnout, fragmented focus, and productivity challenges inherent in the traditional five-day, 40-hour workweek.
Additional mechanisms mediating these benefits include improved self-reported work ability, reduced sleep problems, and decreased fatigue. These health improvements contribute significantly to sustaining or even increasing productivity while working fewer days.
The study found the greatest benefits for those who adopted a full four-day work week, including reduced fatigue, improved mental well-being, better sleep, and higher job satisfaction.
Other flexible models, such as six-hour workdays or 20% reductions in working time, were highlighted as potential options. The study found no evidence that these improvements came at the expense of productivity.
Researchers emphasized the importance of work structure, particularly rest and recovery, on wellbeing. Those in Portugal who support the four-day work week believe it should remain optional.
In conclusion, the findings from these countries strongly support the four-day work week as a strategy that benefits employees' health and well-being and maintains or improves organizational productivity and financial outcomes. This approach is gaining traction internationally as a viable and effective model for modern work arrangements.
- The study in Portugal, along with numerous research conducted in countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, the United States, and others, indicates that a four-day work week can lead to improved mental and physical health, reduced burnout, increased job satisfaction, and sustained or increased productivity without a loss in pay.
- The findings from the largest multi-country trial showed that the four-day work week results in productivity and revenue growth for organizations, with no participating company opposing continuation of the four-day week after the trial period, further emphasizing its financial benefits.
- Researchers and businesses across various industries believe that the four-day work week, along with other flexible models like six-hour workdays or 20% reductions in working time, can contribute to workplace wellness by improving employees' health and well-being, without negatively impacting productivity or financial outcomes.
