The idea of a 4-day work week is gaining momentum in public opinion. A trend to be considered as a real working breakthrough that might lead to an epochal change at a cultural and social level.
In fact, shortening the working week might lead to a change in the urban mobility structure, a reorganization of personal times and, last but not least, an influence on the tourism sector, considering the possibility of an extra day off.
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Data from 4 Days Week Global
The largest test on the topic carried out so far is the one curated by the non-profit organization 4 Days Week Global, with the participation of the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and Boston College.
For 6 months, from January to June 2022, 61 companies located in the UK, USA, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand participated in the pilot programme. The project envisaged a 4-day working week, for a total of 34 hours of work per week, maintaining the same level of pay.
“A resounding success in virtually every dimension” can be read in the project report.
92% of the participating companies stated that they will continue to use the new organizational formula in their work week. 1/4 of the companies determined Monday or Friday as the “new” rest day, 25% instead stated that they assigned a different day to employees, while the remaining declared that they had not identified a specific day but that it is changed periodically.
“This is a major breakthrough moment for anyone striving for a 4-day work week” he added Joe Rylecampaign manager. “In a wide variety of sectors of the economy – continues – These incredible results prove that the 4-day no-change week actually works.”
Participating companies have been satisfied with the experience: revenues have increased, sick days and absenteeism have decreased, resignations have decreased. For their part, the employees are also enthusiastic regarding their own well-being and the climate. In fact, going to work less will have a lower impact on the environment.
Stress reduction
Among the 2900 workers who took part in the pilot program, it was found that levels of work-related stress, anxiety and burnout decreased, thanks to the achievement of a better balance between the private and professional spheres.
Stress, caused by the release of cortisol from hormones, can cause long-term physical and mental problems that should not be ignored. When faced with a stressful situation, the body reacts with a “fight or flight from the body” mechanism, causing a reaction, from increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, excessive sweating and muscle tension.
“If you suddenly had an extra day of the week, well, instead of 5 high cortisol days, you only have 4 high cortisol days. This might certainly explain why people experience decreased burnout and improved mood.” ” he underlined Alex Korba neuroscientist at the University of California.
The study showed that the stress level suffers a drop from 3.07 to 2.74 with the new work organization model. In fact, 71% of workers said they felt a decrease in the burnout phenomenon and 39% felt less stressed, and no longer perceived the typical “Sunday dread” at the thought of starting the new work week.
The time gained from shorter working hours is spent in activities that promote the individual’s mental well-being, with family, friends, hobbies or household chores, which are carried out more calmly. Philip Gehrmana psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, specified that “As much as work is rewarding and fulfilling, it is also stressful and requires time that we would like to spend on other things. So it seems logical to me that working fewer hours is associated with a number of improvements.”
Better sleep quality
The 2016 report of Centers for disease control and preventionhighlights that 1/3 of Americans have difficulty sleeping.
The quality of sleep is essential for having good concentration during the day, which is expressed in greater efficiency.
“One of the first things that goes out the window when people are stressed is their sleep” specific Philip Gehrmandirector of the laboratory of sleep neurobiology and psychopathology at the University of Pennsylvania. “When people – goes on – sleep well enough during the week and sleep late on the weekend, those two days of sleep are not enough to eliminate the effects of 5 days of inadequate sleep. But 3 nights of recovery out of 4 nights of sleep loss is much better.”
Il 40% of participants said they had fewer episodes of insomnia and sleep-related problems, in the reference period. This made it possible to find a lower level of fatigue with a consequent better ease of concentration in the workplace; 45% said they found no significant sleep changes, while 15% said they saw an increase in sleep-related problems.
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The benefits for the company
The idea of working one day less a week might have a positive effect on workers’ brains, prompting them to work more efficiently. Indeed, research has shown that you improve your efforts towards a deadline.
The neuroscientist explains it Alex Korbarguing that, faced with a project that is difficult to complete without a deadline, the worker generally takes more time. “People are not robots. Most of the time we don’t work at our maximum, it’s probably not even possible for people to work at most 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.” Basically, the less time we have available, the more we work.
Only 13% of the participants in the pilot project said they felt a greater burden at the idea of having to complete the weekly work in 4 days instead of 5.
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The research also showed that fewer employees quit their jobs during the study. Realizing that the company cares regarding your psycho-physical well-being tends to motivate the worker to develop a greater attachment to the company itself.
“Employees see the intrinsic value in having a 4 day work week, and if suddenly it seems like the company is actually interested in my well-being then it makes me more motivated to want to work for the company” adds Korb.
The situation in Italy
The latest data published by the OECD shows that Italy is one of the EU countries where people work the most hours a week. Exactly, in our country, people work 3 hours a week more than the European average of 30 hours in total.
Italy also finds itself among the lowest positions in terms of production growth, a figure which therefore makes us reflect on the real efficiency of the 40-hour work week divided over 5 days.
Some companies are trying to introduce the new organization, such as:
Carter&Bensonwhich provides for 32 hours a week, with equal pay, and the possibility for employees to spread the hours over the entire week at their discretion; Awin Italy e Mondelez International who are experimenting with the short week of 32 hours out of 4 working days for equal pay; Intesa Sanpaolo is launching the experimentation of the short week with 9 hours per day, leaving voluntary participation by employees for the time being.
However, the real Italian challenge at the moment is trying to introduce the 4-day working week within the national regulatory framework. A job that therefore belongs to the Government and the trade unions, to regularize and protect a new organizational form.
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