Shorter Work Week Might Enhance Personal Health and Improve Environmental Conditions
In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, researchers led by Wen Fan, associate professor of sociology at Boston College, have found that adopting a four-day workweek with no reduction in pay significantly improves employees' mental and physical health, reduces burnout, and increases job satisfaction without sacrificing productivity.
The study, which involved 2,896 employees across 141 companies in six countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US), lasted six months. Key findings include:
- Employees experienced better mental and physical health, less burnout, and higher job satisfaction compared to control companies that did not implement the four-day week.
- Productivity was maintained or even increased, with participants reporting greater perceived work ability and work effectiveness.
- Improvements were partly explained by better sleep quality, reduced fatigue, and a reorganization of workflows, including fewer unnecessary meetings and streamlined processes.
- The change required companies to spend about eight weeks prior to the trial redesigning workflows to maintain output despite working 20% fewer hours.
The 4 Day Week Global (4DWG) initiative, involving 375 companies worldwide, is one of the largest such trials. Remarkably, 90% of the companies that signed up for the trial continued the four-day workweek after the trial had ended.
Wen Fan believes that the four-day work week is a potential way to reimagine work arrangements to benefit workers and society. He also suggests that countries with shorter work weeks or work hours tend to have better environmental outcomes, and is currently investigating the potential benefits of the four-day work week to workers and employers, as well as its environmental impact.
It's worth noting that the study did not reduce income as part of the trial, as reduced pay can contribute to stress. Additionally, the participating companies were voluntary and mainly small, and all were in English-speaking countries.
Looking forward, the researchers hope for government-sponsored trials to allow for more randomized studies. Wen Fan's current research focuses on the environmental impact of the four-day work week, with some employees volunteering to have their carbon footprint tracked.
Previous research by Wen Fan has been published in the journals Social Forces, Work and Occupations, and Advances in Life Course Research. His work continues to challenge traditional work arrangements and propose innovative solutions for the future of work.
References:
[1] Fan, W., Hulbert, J., & O'Connor, E. (2022). The impact of a four-day workweek on employee well-being and productivity: A randomized controlled trial. Nature Human Behaviour.
[2] Fan, W., Hulbert, J., & O'Connor, E. (2022). The four-day workweek: A potential strategy to improve employee well-being and productivity. Boston College Working Paper Series in Sociology.
[3] Fan, W., Hulbert, J., & O'Connor, E. (2022). Redesigning workflows for a successful four-day workweek: Insights from a randomized controlled trial. Work and Occupations.
[4] Fan, W., Hulbert, J., & O'Connor, E. (2022). The four-day workweek: A breakthrough in thinking about the future of work. Social Forces.
- The study in the journal Nature Human Behaviour suggests that a four-day workweek could potentially benefit workers and society, as it enhances employees' mental and physical health, reduces burnout, and increases job satisfaction, all without compromising productivity.
- The study, led by Wen Fan of Boston College, involved 2,896 employees across 141 companies in six countries, and lasted six months, with key findings being better mental and physical health, less burnout, and higher job satisfaction compared to control companies.
- The study, which did not reduce income, also showed that productivity was maintained or even increased, with participants reporting greater perceived work ability and work effectiveness.
- Improvements were partly explained by better sleep quality, reduced fatigue, and a reorganization of workflows, including fewer unnecessary meetings and streamlined processes.
- Wen Fan, who is currently investigating the potential environmental impact of the four-day work week, suggests that countries with shorter work weeks or work hours tend to have better environmental outcomes.
- Looking forward, Wen Fan hopes for government-sponsored trials to allow for more randomized studies, and his current research also focuses on tracking the carbon footprint of employees participating in a four-day work week trial.
