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Research papers on The four-day workweek

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  1. Flexible working conditions and their effects on employee health and wellbeing

    Kerry E. Joyce, Roman Pabayo, Julia Critchley, et al. · 2010 · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 332 citations

    BACKGROUND: Flexible working conditions are increasingly popular in developed countries but the effects on employee health and wellbeing are largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects (benefits and harms) of flexible working interventions on the physical, mental and general health and wellbeing of employees and their families. SEARCH STRATEGY: Our searches (July 2009) covered 12 databases including the Cochrane Public Health Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL; MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL; PsycINFO; Social Science Citation Index; ASSIA; IBSS; Sociological Abstracts; and ABI/Inform. We also searched relevant websites, handsearched key journals, searched bibliographies and contacted stud

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  3. Illuminating Shades: A Qualitative Analysis of the Impact of a Four-Day Workweek on Subjective Well-being in Hungary

    Tímea Venczel · 2024 · Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal · 10 citations

    Abstract This study examines the implementation of the four-day week in a small Hungarian company, using qualitative research before and after the change. By conducting semi-structured interviews with all employees and the CEO, the paper explores, how social, organisational and individual factors influence the ability of employees to improve their subjective well-being through reduced working hours. The results indicate that the effects of mandated schedule changes are less about increased freedom from work and more about the ability to engage in personally meaningful activities. Interviews revealed four dimensions of well-being: temporal harmony, social involvement, advancement and autonomy

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  4. From Five to Four: Examining Employee Perspectives Towards the Four-Day Workweek

    Mahek Jitendra Jain, Niki Chouliara, Holly Blake · 2025 · Administrative Sciences · 9 citations

    The concept of a four-day workweek (4DWW) has gained traction as organisations explore ways to improve employee well-being and productivity. This study investigates the opportunities, challenges, and perceived feasibility of adopting a 4DWW in the UK, from the perspective of employees on five-day schedules. A qualitative research design was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with 14 participants from diverse sectors, including education, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. A thematic analysis identified the key benefits, concerns, and contextual influences at an employee, organisational, and wider system level. Switching to a 4DWW was seen as an opportunity to enhance work–li

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  5. The impact of a compressed workweek on shareholder value: An event study analysis of Belgium's 4‐day workweek legislation

    Marie Dutordoir, Kristof Struyfs · 2024 · Human Resource Management · 6 citations

    Abstract While the compressed workweek (CWW) has gained traction in recent years, its impact on firms' financial performance is not well understood. This study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the effect of the CWW on shareholder value. Drawing on social exchange theory and its norm of reciprocity, we introduce a conceptual model on the main effect of the CWW on shareholder value, and the moderating roles of the anticipated type and degree of employee reciprocation. To test the model's predictions, we exploit the announcement of Belgium's mandatory adoption of a CWW in February 2022 as the setting for a policy event study analysis. We find positive average stock price reacti

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  6. Does work time reduction improve workers' well-being? Evidence from global four-day workweek trials

    Wen Fan, Juliet B. Schor, Orla M. Kelly, et al. · 2023 · 4 citations

    Time spent on the job is a fundamental aspect of working conditions that influences many facets of individuals’ lives. We study how an organisation-wide four-day workweek intervention—with no reduction in pay—affects workers’ well-being. Participating organisations undergo pre-trial work reorganisation to improve efficiency and collaboration, followed by a 6-month four-day workweek trial. Based on pre- and post-trial data from 2,896 employees in 141 organisations, we find that the trial leads to improvements in multiple measures of well-being, including burnout, job satisfaction, mental health, and physical health—a pattern not observed in 12 control companies. Both company-level and individ

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  7. The four-day workweek in Australia: insights from early adopters of the 100:80:100 model

    John Hopkins, E. Anne Bardoel, Nikola Djurkovic · 2026 · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · 2 citations

    A new version of the four-day workweek is rapidly gaining global attention, in response to increasing demands for flexible work arrangements, rising burnout levels and a greater emphasis on the importance of work-life balance in post-pandemic workplaces. The ‘100:80:100 model’ – which offers employees 100% pay for 80% of their previous working hours, in exchange for a commitment to maintain 100% productivity – not only offers to reduce the number of days employees are required to work but also reduces their overall number of weekly work hours. This research uses a series of semi-structured interviews with key decision-makers ( n = 15) from distinct firms ( n = 15) throughout Australia who ha

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  8. Unlocking Productivity and Well-Being: Exploring the Four-Day Workweek and Design Thinking for Its Implementation

    Dinda Naura Fathya, Fakhira Salsabilla, Muhammad Naufal Sugiarto, et al. · 2024 · Jurnal Syntax Admiration · 2 citations

    Work life balance is the most important factor for employees of this generation in keeping their jobs. Meanwhile, the five-day workweek working system that is implemented today is raising concerns as the workload increases which leads to work life imbalance, declining productivity, also burnouts and mental-health issues of the employees. To overcome it, this study proposes a four-day workweek system as a possible solution. The study aims to explore the potential benefits of a fourday workweek as well as the usage of design thinking method in enabling a successful implementation of the system. By examining factors like work scheduling, business needs, and employee satisfaction, this study als

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  9. The UAE's 4.5‐Day Workweek: Employee Perceptions, Organizational Redesign and Employee Well‐Being Under a Reduced‐Hours Workweek

    Mouawiya Alawad, Linda Smail · 2026 · International Social Science Journal

    ABSTRACT This study examines employee perceptions of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) transition to a nationwide 4.5‐day workweek and perceived changes in productivity, motivation, stress and well‐being. Self‐determination theory and the Job Demands–Resources model guide the interpretation of the balance of recovery and concentrated workload pressure. An exploratory cross‐sectional survey was completed by 155 employees recruited via convenience and snowball sampling. The sample was concentrated in public‐sector education (71.6% public sector; 78.7% education) and is not representative of the wider UAE labour market. Well‐being was assessed using the WHO‐5; other items assessed satisfaction, p

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  10. The Impact of the Four Day Work Week on Business Productivity, Employee Wellbeing, and Profitability: An international analysis of trials in Japan, New Zealand, Iceland and Ireland

    Fardosa Daahir Jaamac · 2025 · NORMA

    This study investigates the effect of the four-day workweek on business productivity, employee welfare, and total profitability. With companies around the world coming under intense pressure to improve work-life balance and cut down on burnout, the four-day workweek has emerged as a possible big fix. This research project explores whether there are lower workweeks specifically, a five to four-day workweek that can not only achieve productivity levels or better, but also improve mental and physical health of employees, and profitability of the business without a reduction in pay. Based on global case studies in such countries as Iceland, the U.K and Spain, as well as survey data and interview

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  11. The Four Day Week: Assessing global trials of reduced work time with no reduction in pay: Evidence from Ireland

    Orla M. Kelly, Juliet B. Schor, Wen Fan, et al. · 2022 · Research Repository UCD (University College Dublin)

    Research suggests that worktime reduction is a multi-dividend policy that can improve human wellbeing, organisational performance, and environmental outcomes. Social benefits include reduced stress and burnout for employees and more time for family, community, and self. Economic benefits depend on the form of worktime reduction. Where it is accomplished without loss or even gains in productivity, it is beneficial for companies’ bottom lines. Environmental benefits can accrue reduced energy expended in commuting, especially with four-day work weeks; increases in low carbon but time-intensive practices for households; and reduced carbon emissions due to trading income for a time. As the most p

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  12. A study on perception of professionals on working hours in adopting four day workweek India

    Nadiminti Rajesh Kumar, Shivani Vandikar, Pratibha Alawa, et al. · 2023 · International Journal of Research in Human Resource Management

    India, on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, stands at the precipice of a potential paradigm shift in its work culture. This study delves into the feasibility of transitioning to a 4-day workweek, each day consisting of 9 hours of work, a stark departure from the current 12-hour workdays mandated by Indian labour laws. The research investigates crucial factors including mental health, physical well-being, quality of life, and productivity within this context, shedding light on the potential benefits and challenges of such a transition. A snowball sampling approach was employed to gather data from a diverse pool of 350 participants. The study began with descriptive analysis, offeri

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  14. Shaping Public Sector Transformation:The Promise of a Four-Day Working Week

    Shepherd, William; id_orcid 0000-0001-8470-6251, Oatway, Jodie · 2024 · The UWS Academic Portal (University of the West of Scotland)

    This paper explores the resurgence of the Four-Day Working Week (4DWW) and its potential for transforming the UK public sector. Historically rooted in the 19th-century labour rights movements, the 4DWW has re-emerged as a solution to modern work-life challenges, particularly in response to growing concerns around employee wellbeing, burnout, and productivity. With increasing interest in shortening the workweek across both public and private sectors, local councils in the UK, faced with recruitment, retention, and financial pressures, are now considering the 4DWW as a viable long-term strategy for improving service delivery while enhancing workforce satisfaction. The paper examines key themes

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  15. The attitudes of organized labor toward the four-day/forty-hour workweek

    George Stafy McElhinney · 1972 · The Mathematics Enthusiast

    I Kyanise Paints* Incorporated* of Everett* Massachusetts was one of the first companies to implement a workweek of the first category-a four-day/thirty-six hour workweek.Word of its successful implementation spread and created new converts to the four-day/forty-hour workweek.In 1970, Riva Poor edited a book^ in which the various aspects of the four-day/forty-hour workweek were discussed and widespread interest was generated.Mrs. Poor's book provided the starting point for this paper.Naturally the four-day/forty-hour workweek has advan tages and disadvantages for the firm and the employee.A most comprehensive list was published in the September 6* 1971 issue of Industrv Week.^Company Advanta

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  20. Perception of Government Employees on the Impact of the Four-Day Workweek Mandate on Their Work Performance: A Shift in Productivity

    Aguilay, Vicente, Jimenez, et al. · 2026 · DIT ADS International Multidisciplinary Research Journal

    This study examined the perceptions of government employees regarding the impact of the four-day workweek mandate on their work performance. Specifically, it analyzed how the policy influenced work schedule flexibility, work-life balance, job satisfaction, and employee well-being, and how these factors related to work performance indicators such as task efficiency, quality of work, work motivation, and productivity output. The study employed a descriptive and regression research design, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to government employees. Descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, were used to analyze respondents’ perceptions, wh

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