Achieving optimal productivity through reduced work hours enhances overall wellbeing
In a groundbreaking study published in the prestigious journal *Nature Human Behaviour*, researchers have found that a four-day workweek, without a reduction in pay, significantly improves employee well-being. The international study, conducted across 141 organisations in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA, involved 2,900 employees and lasted for six months.
The key benefits of the four-day workweek include reduced burnout and fatigue, leading to better mental health, improved job satisfaction, and better sleep quality. These improvements occur even with modest reductions in work hours (1–7 hours less per week). Surprisingly, productivity did not decline, and in some cases, it improved.
Associate Professor Paula O'Kane, a researcher at New Zealand's University of Otago, states that the study's broader implication is that flexible and potentially individualised working arrangements can deliver similar benefits. Dr Dougal Sutherland, a principal psychologist at Umbrella Wellbeing in New Zealand, notes that research over the last decade has generally been positive about the effectiveness of a four-day workweek for employee wellbeing and company performance.
Sutherland attributes the trial's success to the reorganisation of participating organisations, which were coached to find smarter ways of working for staff, streamlining processes, and reducing unnecessary meetings or tasks. The study emphasises that the traditional 9-to-5, five-day workweek is not essential for productivity or employee health.
Experts highlight that combining four-day weeks with other flexible work options—like remote work and flexible hours—maximises these positive outcomes. However, careful implementation is necessary to avoid workload compression and maintain employee autonomy, which are critical for sustaining trust and engagement.
The response patterns of employees suggest that they are reporting based on their actual circumstances rather than attempting to manipulate the data. The smallest changes were reported in physical health, a pattern which the researchers expect may take time to manifest.
The study administered baseline and endpoint surveys six months apart, making it difficult for employees to remember their previous responses. Regardless of the actual organisational-level changes in hours, employees in trial companies experienced greater improvements in well-being compared to those in control companies.
The study found that employees who reduced their working hours by 8 or more per week reported the largest reductions in burnout and improvements in job satisfaction and mental health, compared to the control. This dose-dependent pattern was not seen at the company level.
Sutherland mentions that this study sets a new standard, finding across a large sample that employee wellbeing improved over a six-month trial period when work hours were reduced. The authors of the study suggest that the four-day week challenges the ideal worker norm that equates long hours with hard work.
In conclusion, the four-day workweek offers a strong business case for organisations to "work smarter" rather than longer, supporting both employee well-being and organisational performance.
- Embracing education and self-development, employees can learn effective strategies for managing their time and productivity during a four-day workweek, thereby fostering personal growth.
- Integrating health and wellness practices at the workplace can serve as a complementary measure, bolstering the psychological benefits associated with reducing weekly work hours.
- To further augment these benefits, science can play a pivotal role in researching and developing innovative approaches to workplace-wellness programs that cater to individual needs, enhancing mental health and overall well-being.
