Science reaffirms the four-day workweek

BarcelonaEveryone has experienced it at some point: during shorter work weeks, due to a holiday, we generally feel more rested and in a better mood. And, moreover, we probably perform better during the four days we spend at work. This isn't just a personal perception: several international studies have found a positive relationship between shorter work hours and improved employee well-being and job performance.

Now, a new study from Boston College and the University of Dublin provides new data that reaffirms this correlation. The researchers, who published the results in Nature Human Behavior, conclude that working four days a week without a pay cut increases employee job satisfaction and improves their physical and mental health. countries, in which nearly 3,000 workers participated. According to scientific observation, reducing the workday favors the reduction of fatigue levels (the famous burnout) and sommelier problems. This, in turn, has a positive impact on employee productivity. And the greater the reduction in the number of working hours per week, the greater the benefits for both the company and employees.

More rest, more productivity

Just at a time when The proposal of the Minister of Labor and Vice President of the Spanish Government, Yolanda Díaz, to reduce the working week to 37.5 hours is on the ropes, this new study provides further evidence that the time we spend at work has a fundamental impact on people's quality of life and also on their work.

Previous studies have shown that workers' productivity plummets after working 50 hours or more: excessive working hours lead to more errors, lower quality of work and more health problems, both physical and mental, which ultimately lead to absenteeism.

At the other extreme, the organization 4 Day Week Global, which advocates four-day work weeks, a pilot test carried out in the United Kingdom in 2022 with 61 companies demonstrated how the burnout was reduced by 71%. Employee anxiety and stress also decreased, and consequently, sick leave decreased by almost 65%. Interestingly, 92% of the companies that participated in the initiative continued with the four-day workweek afterward, with stable or slightly higher revenue.

In this study, the researchers looked at companies in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States and compared indicators of physical and mental health, as well as job satisfaction, before and after the experiment. They also compared these with those of 285 workers from 12 other companies that did not participate in the intervention. Before conducting the trial, the companies received training on how to more efficiently reorganize their workflow. For example, all "unnecessary" meetings were eliminated.

Effects with just 5 fewer hours

Most of the workers who participated in these experiments started with a 40-hour workweek and reduced it by an average of 5 hours. This reduction alone already saw significant improvements in job satisfaction and well-being. They also saw reductions in burnout, sleep problems, and fatigue. As a result, the workers improved their ability to perform their jobs.

Those who had a work reduction of 8 hours or more felt the greatest benefits. Therefore, the authors suggest that promoting shorter workweeks without cutting pay could improve workers' well-being and health, increase job satisfaction, and increase productivity.

In Catalonia, in 2022, the Generalitat (Catalan government) announced a pilot project for a 4-day workweek, with support for companies to facilitate its adoption. And, in fact, they already exist, especially in the technology and social sectors. start-ups, with a culture of teleworking and focused on results, who apply it.