Positives vs negatives | Will the four-day week make it to the US?

The four-day week is likely something that many of our readers will be familiar with; and for those who aren’t, the concept is quite simple. Instead of working a standard five day week, those campaigning for a four day week claim that it’s beneficial not just for the worker, but the employee too.

Overall, it’s a concept which has been viewed as deeply divisive. Those for and against the idea have largely dismissed it as nothing more than an intriguing, yet completely infeasible, concept. That is, until recently.

In fact, whilst many may still choose to see a four-day working week as a headscratcher, it’s gaining investment from major international sources. Unilever’s New Zealand operations announced in November of 2021 that it would trial the concept, predicting that it would see ‘significant returns’, as reported by The Guardian.

Likewise, the nation of Iceland recently announced a similar trial for its population between 2015 and 2019, which was dubbed an “overwhelming success” by its Government, with productivity remaining the same or improved in most workplaces. As a result, now 86% of Iceland’s workforce have either moved to shorter hours for the same pay or will gain the right to. Benefits have included workers feeling less stressed and at risk of burnout, and improvements in health and work-life balance.