“ The Icelandic shorter working week journey tells us that not only is it possible to work less in modern times, but that progressive change is possible too.”
GUDMUNDUR HARALDSSON, RESEARCHER, ALDA
from perceived stress and burnout to health and work- life balance.” The study further reported how benefits extended
beyond employees to their extended family, friends and communities, who had greater contact with trial participants. From an inclusion perspective, male partners in heterosexual households also took on greater domestic responsibilities – often a factor in workplace gender pay inequalities. There were also positive effects on single-parent households, a demographic that is often acutely time-poor. Today, 86% of Iceland’s working population have
either moved to shorter hours for the same pay or will gain the right to. Gudmundur Haraldsson, a researcher at Alda, said: “The Icelandic shorter working week journey tells us that not only is it possible to work less in modern times, but that progressive change is possible too.”
WORKING SMARTER? After being on the horizon for at least a decade, the reality of the four-day week movement is now with us. It’s easy to see why. The benefits resonate with many key issues in today’s workplaces: wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability, purpose and performance. From an environmental perspective alone, if the UK moved to a four-day week by 2025, emissions would shrink by 127 million tonnes, or 20%, helping the country to meet its 2030 greenhouse gas reduction goals. In February, Future Generations Commissioner for
Wales, Sophie Howe, followed governments in Scotland and Ireland to advocate a shorter working week trial for Wales. “It’s clear that following the pandemic, people across Wales are re-evaluating their priorities in life and looking for a healthier work-life balance.” Highlighting the escalating demands of caring for
loved ones due to an ageing population and an increase in mental health issues exacerbated by working long hours, Sophie Howe added “a shorter working week can result in increased productivity which will be of huge benefit to employers for a happier, healthier workforce.”
GOOD WORK MORE IMPORTANT THAN HOURS WORKED? As pilots roll out in companies in the rest of the UK and around the world, including participants in the latest round of the 4 Day Global campaign, other research is helpfully developing the debate. The results suggest that on its own a shorter working week is no replacement for quality jobs, or “good work”. The Cambridge Journal of Economics article,
“What matters more for employees’ mental health: job quality or job quantity?”, for example, by Senhu Wang, Daiga Kamerāde, Brendan Burchell, Adam Coutts, Sarah Ursula Balderson published in December 2021 suggests that “actual working hours are hardly related to employees’ mental health.” Instead, “job quality, especially intrinsically meaningful
work, less intensified work and having a favourable social environment, has positive effects on employee mental health, even in jobs with short working hours.” The paper’s findings and the experiences of companies piloting the approach underscore the importance of a positive organisational ecosystem to support employees – whether following a reduced-hours week or otherwise – that relies on good line management and leadership, and a positive workplace culture.
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