The four-day working week continues to gain momentum, with pilots taking place in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada and Australia. Over six-month periods between February and November, employees at participating businesses are working only 80% of their time but still receiving 100% of their salary and benefits.
These schemes, which are being driven by non-profit coalition 4 Day Week Global, are supposed to “benefit everyone” by raising workers’ productivity, improving work-life balance and happiness levels, and reducing unemployment.
But is this too good to be true? While many firms may find it a better arrangement than a five-day working week, there are several reasons why the concept needs further research and debate before we talk seriously about rolling it out.
1. The productivity problem
A four-day week is unlikely to enhance productivity unless it’s already low. Countries like Ireland and the UK already boast very high worker productivity, measured as GDP per hour worked.
Indeed, Ireland’s productivity is amongst the highest in the world, hitting a whopping US$125 (£103) per hour in 2019 (admittedly somewhat distorted by the presence of over 1,500 multinationals). And while there has been much discussion about UK productivity struggling to keep pace with other major economies, it is still very high in overall terms at US$54 per hour. China and India’s equivalent figures are respectively US$11 and US$8.
To even maintain these productivity levels while working four days a week, employees would need to increase output per hour significantly. This is simply because total GDP will fall if everyone works 20% less. In 1988 Japan shortened the workweek from 46 to 30 hours. Productivity did not increase enough to compensate, and economic output between 1988 and 1996 was 20% lower than it otherwise would have been.
Countries like Ireland or the UK may require draconian work-floor practices to squeeze enough productivity out of a four-day week, including requiring employees to work more daily hours than before. This would increase the chances of excessive stress, industrial accidents and so on.
2. The truth about happiness
Claims that we would all be happier working four days overlook the theory of the hedonic treadmill, which argues that permanent extra happiness is a mirage. People may feel happier over, say, a six-month period. But over a longer duration, they would arguably revert to their previous level of happiness. In 2000, France reduced the working week from 39 hours to 35 hours among large firms. An assessment later concluded that it had failed to improve workers’ happiness.
The hedonic treadmill explains why many retirees go back to work or why lottery winners continue in their jobs. Or why, in the case of France, many workers got second jobs or moved to smaller firms. It is also why, at the very least, we would need to pilot the four-day workweek over longer periods than six months.
Furthermore, there is little evidence of crises in work-life balance or job unhappiness in Ireland or the UK. According to a 2018 Eurostat survey, 38% of Irish people rated their job satisfaction as “high” – sixth highest in the EU after Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Austria and Switzerland. UK job satisfaction was 29%, still above the average. And according to the 2021 UK census: “Overall, personal wellbeing levels have increased in the UK.”
