According to a new study conducted in the United Kingdom, a four-day, 32-hour workweek will help decrease burnout while working. In fact, the study established that a policy such as this will significantly help women. According to those who conducted this study, it was the largest burnout at-work trial in the world. The trial lasted six months, highlighting many things that might help an employer and the employees.
Working four days a week helped reduce burnout symptoms for employees and helped the companies increase productivity. The study showed employers reaped benefits from allowing employees to work 4 days a week. The study proved that workers’ productivity increased when they worked 4 days a week. It also helped to increase the revenue of the company implementing the 4-day policy.
The study’s co-author, Brendan Burchell, Ph.D., a sociology professor at the University of Cambridge, said that many companies would benefit from this type of policy. “The vast majority — 92 percent of the 61 organizations included in the study — said they were going to stick to a four-day workweek even after the study period ended, with 18 companies making the policy permanent,” Professor Brendan Burchell said.
The effects of burnout at work are very real and have made many companies lose their workers. Burnout happens when the employees have no control over their schedule, often leading to overstress, anxiousness, and other burnout symptoms. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, Ph.D., the global programs and development manager at 4 Day Week Global, said that reducing work days to 4 days will help change many things.
“A four-day week gives people more time for recovery, lets them sleep longer, decreases work-life interference, and creates more space for hobbies and healthy habits. And because four-day week companies tend to be good at enforcing work-life boundaries, you’re less likely to have to answer emails or check your phone in your time off, which further improves recovery,” Dr. Soojung-Kim Pang said.
Should the Short Work Week Be for Everyone?
According to the authors of this research, those who should follow the short workweek will be evaluated on the type of work they do. It depends on if they are salaried or they work hourly. It also depends if it is a white or blue-collar job.
“A shorter workweek benefits people whether they’re salaried or hourly, white collar or blue collar, professionals or working class, because even work that society regards as less valuable requires creativity, judgment, and good decision-making — all of which are improved by giving people back time,” Dr. Soojung-Kim Pang said.
Dr. Soojung-Kim Pang also noted that it depends on whether the work is contract or periodic.” If the work is very seasonal or commuting costs are extremely high, it’s hard to implement. I wouldn’t expect to see snow plow operators or oil rig workers moving to shorter weeks. But I think for everyone else, the pandemic underlined that the way we work is a choice, not an inevitability, and can be changed,” Dr. Soojung-Kim Pang added.
