Thursday Is the New Friday

Thursday Is the New Friday: Globally, four-day week trials are on the rise.

The UK recently launched its largest four-day workweek experiment, with 30 companies committing to reducing employees’ hours to 32 per week from June. As well as encouraging results from Iceland’s five-year study of the shortened workweek, the US, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have studies imminently launching or planned shortly. Employers are hoping reduced working hours will stem the tide of worker-reported burnout, with a record 47 million US workers quitting their jobs in 2021 (though that is only slightly higher than pre-pandemic trends.) 83% of respondents in one survey said that a four-day week would help to ease burnout, while the looming cost-of-living crisis already has workers wanting fewer commuting journeys during the week—something a four-day week, as well as options like remote working support, can help with.

“There is a strong correlation between shorter working hours and increased productivity amongst wealthy nations,” - Iceland four-day workweek trial study authors Guemundur Haraldsson & Jack Kellam.

Pairing Note

With all their extra time at home, workers on four-day weeks can plan their 52 long weekends a year using sky scanner's?everywhere search function! Or give this?overnight sourdough recipe?a try, complete with a full day of scheduling advice.

Sources

https://fortune.com/2022/01/20/four-day-workweek-trial-great-resignation/

https://hbr.org/2022/03/the-great-resignation-didnt-start-with-the-pandemic