Much has been said here about the four days of the week, with pilot projects, but the three-day weekends are, for now, a mirage that is only meant for times when the official holiday falls on a Monday or Friday. However, several studies of this business model have revealed that there may be benefits, both for the health of the population and the economy.
Currently, according to The Conversation, 9 of the OECD’s 10 most productive countries are located in continental Europe, an area with a tradition of longer vacations. The studies conducted show that vacations have a small but positive effect on economic activity, or at least they do not harm it.
Iceland was one of the first countries to test the model, between 2015 and 2019, and it proved successful. 90% of workers in Iceland can now request a shorter four-day work week without suffering a pay cut.
In pilot tests conducted in New Zealand with Unilever employees, there were also positive results in the company’s goals, such as profit growth. The vast majority of respondents reported being more integrated into the company and employee absenteeism decreased by 34% during testing.
In the UK, a pilot program was tested last year, between June and December, with 61 companies and about 3,000 workers.
The study organizers reported “tremendous success” in the participating companies: in 56 of the 61 total, applications continued to be submitted for four days a week (and three days on weekends).
Paying 100% of the salary for 80% of the previous hours worked seems to go against all principles of economics, but the English study notes that “the vast majority of companies were content to maintain business performance and productivity” during rehearsals. There was also a 57% decrease in the number of employees leaving the company.
In the study, the benefits, even if they exist for companies, were found to be on a larger scale for workers: 39% said they felt less stressed and 71% said they had reduced levels of “burnout”. The participants’ average mental health rating was 2.95 and by the end of the trial had increased to 3.32. In terms of anxiety, 54% of workers reported feeling a decrease in negative emotions that they felt were work-related.
Similarly, the New Zealand study confirmed the very positive effects of a three-day weekend on workers’ well-being: more than two-thirds of participants said they now had a better work-life balance, and measured stress levels decreased by 33% during the pilot projects.
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