The case for a shorter workweek
BBCThe case for a shorter workweek Getty Images More than ever, workers want to work fewer hours, saying they can be just as effective in less time – and happier, too. “It changes the focus from hours worked to productivity – that is, from ‘busy work’ to the right work,” says Rachel Service, CEO of Melbourne-based workplace culture consulting and training firm Happiness Concierge. For example, in the Reykjavík accountancy department, workers processed 6.5% more invoices once they started working fewer hours; at a police station, meanwhile, the shorter workweek didn’t negatively affect the number of investigative cases closed. It changes the focus from hours worked to productivity – that is, from ‘busy work’ to the right work – Rachel Service “The key to achieving shorter hours was often flexibility in how tasks were completed, how hours of work and shifts were constructed, combined with interest and engagement in the process of shortening hours from the workplace,” the report says.
History of this topic
A four-day work week won't be on the horizon for decades
Live MintBernie Sanders wants the US to adopt a 32-hour workweek. Could workers and companies benefit?
Associated Press
4-day week: 'Too short-staffed to work'
BBC
4-Day Week Trial in UK: What 'Largest Study' Says on Productivity, Work Stress
The Quint
4-day workweek trial: Shorter hours, happier employees
Associated Press
Four-day workweek trial in UK: Shorter hours, happier employees
Al Jazeera
The case for a shorter workday
BBC
Higher wages, shorter work week won’t fix labor shortage, business leaders claim
NL Times
Without careful design, a four-day work week could make inequality worse
The Independent
Iceland’s shorter work week trials an ‘overwhelming success’
CNN
4 Reasons We Should Have 4-Day Workweeks, According To Research
Huff Post
The Pandemic Could Finally Usher In The 4-Day Workweek
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