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Working four days a week, taking a three-day break – and still getting 100 percent of your salary: for many, that sounds too good to be true.

Nevertheless: the concept of the 4-day week is gaining momentum. At the World Economic Forum last year, serious experiences were exchanged for the first time – although the concept was mainly regarded by the business elite as unworkable or ‘taken from reality’.

Regardless of the concerns, countless states and companies have attempted to address the idea in detail in recent years. In Iceland, the 4-day working week is already a reality for more than 80 percent of employees. This after drawing a clearly positive balance from the three-year test phase.

The latest argument for moving to a four-day work week comes from a six-month trial period that began in February 2022. 33 companies from the US and Ireland underwent a science-based testing phase. The long-awaited results were published in mid-January.

The latest results

Organized by 4 Day Week Global, the field experiment aimed to determine whether workers can be just as productive 80 percent of the time — and with the same pay.

A total of 33 companies and over 900 employees participated in the survey. Of the 33 companies, 27 completed the final survey, reporting on their overall experiences and whether they would continue with the 4-day work week. These are the main results:

4 Day Week Global is guiding further pilot projects for the 4-day week: a similar project will start in South Africa this year. And the results of a recently completed trial – probably the largest science-backed pilot project on the 4-day work week to date – from the UK are expected soon.

The 4-day week in theory

The 4-day work week aims to divide the total working time done in an economy into four days per week instead of five.

Theoretically, there are two possibilities: either the same number of working hours as before (40 or 42 hours) is spread over four days. This would result in longer working days. Or the hours worked are reduced (for example to 35 hours per week) and spread over four days – in other words: the same working days with one day less.

A third option is also occasionally discussed, in which only the weekly working time is reduced, but it can still be divided over five days.

The most important thing for all variants is that the salary remains the same as before. This is where the so-called 100-80-100 model comes into play, which will also be used explicitly in the pilot project in Great Britain: 100 percent of the salary is paid for 80 percent of the time worked so far, but there 100 percent productivity is still expected.

The advantages

The biggest benefits of a shorter work week are expected to come from greater employee satisfaction and better health.

In addition, productivity is expected to increase, at least in some sectors. This is partly because employees would spend less time at work on non-work related matters. This could increase efficiency. Consistent with this, occupational psychologists state that most people cannot concentrate properly for more than five hours a day.

There are also ecological reasons for a 4-day working week: less commuting, for example. Employees could also have more time to cook for themselves (which would reduce takeout waste). Whether offices and factories generally use less energy depends on whether a 4-day working week also leads to lower production.

Last but not least, a four-day work week could help narrow the gender pay gap. The think tank Women’s Budget Group (WBG) concluded that fewer days of paid work can lead to a better balance between the share of men and women in unpaid care work, such as caring for children or other dependents.

The cons

Opponents of the 4-day week fear high costs. This is especially when productivity cannot be kept at the same level.

In addition, it is argued that not all sectors can reduce their working hours and still generate the same output. If so, a 4-day workweek with the same pay could lead to inequality between sectors.

Which countries have already tested the 4-day work week?

Which countries have already introduced the 4-day working week?

The vast majority of companies that use the short week are private companies. Working one day less as standard – only a few countries have already implemented this on a large scale:

What’s next?

In addition to the pilot project in Great Britain described above, other countries also want to gain experience with the 4-day working week in the future. The non-profit organization 4 Day Week Global supports and advises them in the implementation and evaluation of pilot projects. The group also directly targets companies that wish to introduce short-time work on their own initiative.

4 Day Week Global has more pilots planned in 2023, following those in the US and UK, for example in South Africa.

In Scotland A state trial will begin in 2023, with Wales also considering a trial. The decision was to fulfill an election promise made by the governing Scottish National Party (SNP). The working hours of the employees will be reduced by 20 percent and here too there may be no loss of wages.

Also Spain is working on a large-scale pilot project. However, its start is repeatedly postponed. In 2021, under pressure from the ruling left-wing party Más País, 50 million euros were pledged for the implementation.

This was announced at the end of 2022 Portugal also want to test the 4 day week. The pilot project is scheduled to start in June 2023 and will initially focus on the private sector before expanding to the public sector.

And what about Switzerland?

In Switzerland, too, more and more media reports are coming in about companies introducing a shorter working week on their own initiative. However, these tend to be smaller companies and there are no signs of effort being made in the bigger ones. And: Even if companies introduce the 4-day working week, this will in most cases not mean a reduction in working hours. So 40 or 42 hours are spread over four days instead of five.

So far, only isolated cases have been reported in Switzerland that offer their employees a shortened working week on their own initiative. In any case, on a political level, people don’t want to know much about it.

In December 2021, Tamara Funiciello (SP) filed a motion for a 4-day working week. It calls for the reduction of paid work to a maximum of 35 hours per week over a period of ten years – with full wages for middle and low incomes. Parliament’s decision is still pending, but the Bundesrat has already rejected the motion.

Trade union federations for, employers federation against

The Swiss trade union organizations have made positive comments to SRF about a possible 4-day working week. The main argument: in recent decades, productivity has increased, but at the same time, hours worked have not decreased. However, the 4-day working week only has advantages if the weekly working hours actually decrease.

The employers’ organization sees it differently: a certain flexibility is fundamental in the Swiss economy. Companies should be able to decide independently on their respective working models. The union therefore spoke out against a legally prescribed 4-day working week.

One problem: the high proportion of part-time workers

Another hurdle that would arise in Switzerland is the large number of employees already working part-time. According to the OECD, only the Netherlands has more people in Europe who do not work 100 percent.

In Switzerland, this is probably mainly due to the high average wage: even if their monthly salary falls as a result, many employees can in principle afford not to work full-time. The many part-time workers could thus reduce the pressure on and the need for a shorter working week.