Mondays are typically characterized by a hangover from the weekend before or plans for the weekend to come. By the third working day of the week, people who work from Monday to Friday (or any other five days of the week) lose steam; their wishful thinking makes them dream of an extra day off. Sometimes they get lucky and there is an official holiday in a week, reducing the number of working days to only four.
Businesses all over the world are finding it more viable to implement a four-day workweek due to the radical changes in office life that have swept the globe. The Belgian government will now offer employees the option of working four days per week. Many other countries have followed suit in recent years and witnessed an increase in productivity following the implementation of a four-day workweek. Across the globe, countries have shifted to a four-day workweek, including the UAE, New Zealand, and others. Take a look:
1. Spain: Spanish government officials have announced an experiment to trial a four-day workweek, according to the Guardian. A 32-hour workweek will be implemented in Spain over three years without reducing workers’ compensation.
2. Iceland: Iceland ran the world’s largest trial of a shorter working week between 2015 and 2019. Results showed measurable success! People were happier, healthier, and more productive. A study of 2,500 Icelandic workers, more than 1% of the workforce, examined whether shortened workdays led to more productivity and happier employees. Various types of workplaces, including preschools, offices, social service providers, and hospitals, were tested.
3. Scotland: To balance work and personal life, Scotland has also adopted a four-day workweek after Iceland did so successfully. Several people have indicated they would prefer a four-day week and a three-day weekend, so the country is reportedly brainstorming ideas. According to a study from the think tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), 80 percent of workers think reducing their working hours – without losing pay – would improve their wellbeing.
4. Ireland: The Irish government has also launched a pilot program to test whether a four-day working week would be effective while not affecting employee pay. The program will begin in January 2022. Organizations participating in the new program will receive training, coaching, and support on how to make the four-day week work. The research will also be funded by the Irish government to assess the program’s economic, social, and environmental impacts. According to reports, 17 companies from across the country signed up for the program.
5. New Zealand: Two years ago, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested employers consider a four-day workweek. Employees at Barnes’ company Perpetual Guardian work four days a week since 2018. After a six-week trial found productivity had improved by 20%, they implemented the four-day work week, where employees get paid the same amount for working fewer days.
6. Japan: The nation, which has always emphasized quality and efficiency in the workplace, has urged firms to adopt a four-day workweek. To improve the nation’s work-life balance, the Japanese government started an initiative in June 2021 by asking companies to adopt a four-day workweek. Panasonic is the latest Japanese company to offer a 4-day work week and break away from Japan’s workaholic culture.
7. UAE: Early December 2021 was the transition date for the UAE from the five-day workweek to a four-and-a-half-day work week. According to reports, the new change will come into effect on January 1, 2022. In this context, the UAE Government Media Office informed that the new change was implemented to improve work-life balance and productivity.
8. Belgium: The country has joined a host of other countries that are offering employees a four-day workweek as part of its change in labor laws following COVID. Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said that the reform package would make people and businesses stronger after two difficult years during the pandemic.
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