"You finish work for the week, with three full days of freedom lying ahead of you - that would be life if we had a four day working week. Not long ago, this seemed like a far-fetched utopian fantasy, but now it is being trialled and tested all over the globe, more recently here in the UK. From Japan to Spain, Iceland to New Zealand, it seems that companies from all corners of the globe are shaking up corporate culture and experimenting with this structure."
"Since it was introduced by Henry Ford in the early 20th century, the five day working week has dominated society and work culture. However, following covid, many companies have rethought their scheduling, and moved to a more person centric work model. The pandemic flipped work models upside down, with companies going entirely remote for the first time, and discovered productivity doesn't always depend on long hours."
Since Henry Ford introduced the five day working week in the early 20th century, that schedule has dominated work culture. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many companies to rethink scheduling and adopt person centric models. Remote work during lockdowns showed that productivity does not always depend on long hours. Employers and governments across several countries are trialling shorter workweeks or adjusted schedules to increase freedom and wellbeing. Examples include Iceland’s 2015–2019 trials, Belgium’s 2022 company experiments, the UAE’s 4.5-day week with Friday half-days, and Spain’s €50 million, three-year four-day workweek pilot. Reduced hours aim to improve work-life balance and test productivity outcomes.
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