Your boss may not be able to resist the 4-day workweek for much longer
Employers may not be able to resist a four-day workweek for much longer if one recent study highlighting even more compelling evidence of the schedule’s benefits is any indication.
In good news for both employees keen to secure better work-life balance and employers wanting to protect their bottom lines, the four-day workweek was found to overwhelmingly lead to happier workplaces without hurting productivity, according to a preliminary research report from York University.
More than 95 per cent of those with four-day workweeks reported healthier, happier work environments, according to researchers Carlo Fanelli and Maria Foggia, who looked at data from across 30 different companies and 3,500 workers. Meanwhile, productivity didn’t suffer and even improved in some cases, 90 per cent of those surveyed said.
Employees reported major decreases in feelings of burnout, stress and fatigue. As a result, their mental health improved, as did job satisfaction. They also discovered they had more time for meaningful activities such as volunteering and caring for children or other family members.
“When you are well rested, you are a much better mom, dad, parent, neighbour, boss, colleague, teacher, student, the list goes on,” one human resources director told the researchers. “Well-rested humans will be able to be more creative and be able to transform and be more compassionate.”
That, in part, seems to be leading to productivity boosts. Employees used fewer sick days and absenteeism improved, the study said, thereby saving companies money. Furthermore, meetings and communication became more efficient, resulting in more work getting done. “The results of this study suggest that shortened and compressed work schedules improve labour
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