The New Working Week: Is 4 the Magic Number?

A working culture revolution is underway, will a 4-day week be the next concept to enter the mainstream workforce?

• Two years ago, it was unthinkable that a portion of the workforce would be working from home. Yet, now this notion is not only thinkable but a daily reality due to the working culture revolution.
• What once seemed radical, is the new normal. Many say this would also apply to the concept of a 4-day work week. A 4-day work week is a 32 hour week, with no loss in pay, productivity or benefits.
• The UK is the latest nation to trial such a scheme, with Denmark, Spain, Korea, Japan and Iceland all experimenting with variations of the 4-day work week in the past.
• In Iceland, the trials were a huge success and 86% of the workforce have moved to shorter working hours or they have the right to do so.
• We all know how precious minutes can be lost chatting on Slack or replying to emails. The belief is that an extra day off would incentivize employees to become more efficient and productive.
• The 4-day work week has it’s faults. It is inapplicable in an array of service fields, such as healthcare. It has also been found that staff do not always maintain the prior level of productivity.
• Yet, in all cases reports of an improved work-life balance and sense of wellbeing was reported during the 4-day work week.