What’s the downside of a shorter work week?
Nothing, according to a new study out of Iceland. During a four year trial, 2,500 workers had their weekly hours reduced from 40 to 36 or 35 hours. Their pay remained the same – and crucially, their productivity did not suffer. In fact, many workers became MORE productive.
“This study shows that the world’s largest ever trial of a shorter working week in the public sector was by all measures an overwhelming success,” said Will Stronge, who worked on the study. “It shows that the public sector is ripe for being a pioneer of shorter working weeks — and lessons can be learned for other governments.”
For workers, the upside was significant. They reported less stress, less burnout, and a healthier work-life balance. They also reported more time to spend with family and friends. Many people spent their extra hours pursuing new hobbies or completing household chores.
“For me it is like a gift from the heavens,” said one manager in Reykjavík, quoted in the report. “And I like it a lot.”
According to Mashable:
Workplaces tried out various time reduction strategies to accommodate the shorter work hours. These included delegating and prioritizing tasks more effectively, having shorter and more focused meetings, and yes, letting meetings that could have been emails just be emails.
Workers from many industries participated in the trial and they negotiated a permanently improved schedule. According to the BBC, “the trials led unions to renegotiate working patterns, and now 86% of Iceland’s workforce have either moved to shorter hours for the same pay, or will gain the right to.”
Similar trials are underway. According to The Guardian, Spain is earmarking 50 million euros for a pilot program testing a four-day work week.
Economists of yesteryear have predicted that the 40 hour workweek would fade away by the turn of the century. In 1965, a US Senate subcommittee forecast a 14 hour workweek by the year 2000. A year before, Life magazine ran a two-part series on “a real threat” facing America: the impending catastrophe of too much leisure time.
