Thursday is the new Friday!

There’s a growing rumble of companies across the world looking at a 4 day week working model. But is it the right answer to the recently highlighted strain (thanks to Covid-19) on the overworked, stressed and burnt out British workforce?

There’s evidence to suggest that a 4 day working week could dramatically improve employee wellbeing, leaving more time for leisure activities and family time. 

So where has it been successful?

Iceland conducted a trial between 2015 and 2019 in which workers were paid the same amount for shorter hours. Their findings showed that productivity remained the same or improved in the majority of workplaces, researchers said. And workers reported feeling significantly less stressed. 

But the revolutionary part to this study is that as a result, 86% of Iceland's workforce have either moved to shorter hours for the same pay, or will gain the right to. 

So, with so many studies being conducted, and growing evidence to suggest it could create a positive change, why are we not all jumping at the idea?

One of the main arguments in its favour is that it could boost productivity. But clearly this is not guaranteed and many businesses would see it as a gamble. Can individuals evolve and adapt to new working practices? There are cost implications to implementing these changes which may not prove successful. On top of this, with so many already adopting new flexible ways of working, such as remote home working, measuring and monitoring performance has become even more of a challenge. 

Further unanswered questions include workers on hourly contracts or other flexible working. Retail and hospitality were two of the industries hardest hit during the pandemic so it seems unrealistic for these to benefit from a reduction in hours without impacting financially. Any trial may need to be inclusive of all types of workers, not just office based ones. 

Even if a pilot proves successful, there are a long list of questions which need to be answered before this idea could become reality.

We can but hope!