More than 70 companies in Great Britain are undergoing a six-month experiment in which their employees work only four days a week but maintain the salary of five days worked. So far, the results are encouraging. Most participants in the pilot program reported no loss of productivity; on the contrary, some even saw a significant improvement in their employees’ performance.
Halfway through the six-month program, of the 41 companies that responded to a survey about the experiment, 35 stated that it is “likely” or “very likely” they will permanently adopt the four-day workweek.
The debate about the four-day workweek has existed for decades. In 1956, then-Vice President Richard M. Nixon said he envisioned this change in a “not too distant future.” But the changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in labor relations, have prompted questions such as: are we working five days a week just because we have been doing so for over a century, or is it really the most efficient way?
Some leaders of the participating companies said that the four-day workweek gave employees more time to exercise, cook, spend time with their families, and dedicate themselves to their hobbies, increasing their well-being and making them more energized and productive when they were working.
Similar experiments to that of Great Britain are also being conducted in other countries, mainly in the private sector, including the United States, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.
Source: New York Times