Researcher says 4-day workweek boosts profits, productivity & well-being: ‘Never expected it’

Commenting on why workplaces are reluctant to adopt a shorter work week despite its proven advantages, economist Juliet Schor said managers are not comfortable with giving up control. (Illustration: Copiliot)

An American researcher, who has been studying the benefits of working less for decades, has recently revealed a few surprising benefits of employees working four days a week. Economist Juliet Schor told CNBC Make It that the Covid pandemic did not just disrupt routines, but also redefined priorities. And now, the four-day workweek is no longer a radical idea. It’s a tested model.

As a lead researcher with 4 Day Week, a global initiative piloting shortened workweeks, Schor's latest findings reveal significant benefits for both businesses and employees. After experimenting with 245 organisations and over 8,700 employees across multiple countries, including the US, Canada, and the UK, primarily adopting a four-day work week with no pay cut, Schor found that employees reported having a better work-life balance. They experienced less burnout, stress, and anxiety, and better mental and physical health. Business profits grew, and turnover disappeared.

"The big jump in self-reported productivity is pretty striking," the economist told CNBC Make It. "Beyond maintaining productivity, people just feel so much better. They feel on top of their work and their life, and they’re not stressed out. They feel recovered when they come to work on Monday morning... That productivity bump they get, of feeling so good about their work quality, that has a big positive impact on their overall well-being, which we never expected."

Commenting on why workplaces are reluctant to adopt a shorter work week despite its proven advantages, Schor said managers are not comfortable with giving up control. "There’s a sense in which the companies have to give up control if they’re giving people more time back. Management doesn’t like that. For some of these return-to-office mandates, they’re really more about control than they are about performance," she said.

Schor also pointed out that to most companies, the move also feels radical and risky. "That’s why it helps for these companies to go through a six-month or year-long pilot and see how it goes. The five-day week is very ingrained."

She predicted that workplaces are evolving away from the full Friday workday. "I think we need to accelerate that process," Schor said.