Some of the most extensive benefits of a shorter work week relate to employees’ well-being.

The UK’s 4-day work week pilot:

• 39% of employees became less stressed.
• Burnout decreased for 71% of employees.
• Anxiety, fatigue, and sleep decreased.
• Mental and physical health improved.

University of South Australia:

• Physical activity and sleep increase when people have a three-day weekend.

Women’s unequal participation in the labour force and the gendered pay gap require robust solutions. A four-day work week can help women who bear the brunt of child and elder care responsibilities.

But it also carries the risk of deepening gender inequalities across the labour force because of how and when work gets done differently across industries. Consider the differences faced by knowledge economy workers and service industry workers, for example.

The UK’s 4-day work week pilot:

• 60% of employees found it easier to juggle paid work and care responsibilities.
• The amount of time women spent looking after children increased by 13%, and for men it increased by more than double that (27%).

RBC Economics:

• Women are overrepresented in customer-facing positions and industries like accommodation, retail, and food services, as well as the professional care economy and education, which don’t offer high flexibility for service delivery.

Women’s Budget Group:

• A shorter working week for all would lead to a more even distribution of housework and care responsibilities.

The face-time challenge:

• As with remote work, a four-day work week carries the risk of diminishing opportunities for employees, especially women, to get the face-time they need from mentors and senior leaders for career growth and advancement.

Leaders have to approach a four-day work week with the intention of solving a specific problem. Is the objective to increase flexibility? Reduce costs? Improve well-being? Prioritize environmental sustainability? The problem and solution must take both decent work and economic growth into account.

Decent work is closely tied to career ownership and agency and positive employment relationships. Employees are looking for choice and workplace cultures where choice is valued. Leaders are looking for ways to build great workforces and cultures that retain talent, ensure positive and sustainable productivity, and lead to economic growth. The success of a four-day work week lies in the details, but it begins with an honest and holistic assessment of what the specific needs of your organization and workforce are.

The UK’s 4-day work week pilot:

• Company revenues rose by an average of 1.4%.
• Staff turnover decreased by 57%.
• Absenteeism decreased by 65%.
• 15% of employees said no amount of money would get them to return to a five-day work week.

The productivity proposition:

• A key measurement of success may be the outcome of the ‘productivity proposition’—that a four-day work week sustainably increases employee productivity per hour worked without increasing workload stress due to compressed time availability. Trials in New Zealand, Iceland, Ireland, the U.S., and more have shown positive results, but their long-term sustainability requires more research.

Goal 9 seeks to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation. New and innovative use of work infrastructure (e.g., buildings, equipment, public transit systems, etc.) will need to be considered to avoid unsustainable costs and safety risks associated with less frequent use. This includes how buildings and critical infrastructure are occupied and maintained.

The office of the future:

• The Harvard Business Review and Brookfield found that remote and hybrid work during the pandemic didn’t lead to less demand for office space, but rather a decrease in demand for office density.
• As companies compete for the best talent in tight labour markets, they are looking for the highest quality and most sustainable buildings with modern amenities in prime locations. Infrastructure can act as a catalyst to recruit and retain talent.

Certain industries, job roles, and types of employment may be more conducive to a four-day work week than others. If the implementation of a four-day work week is not approached with care and consideration, existing inequalities may be deepened or new inequalities created.

The UK’s 4-day work week pilot:

• To participate in this pilot study, employers were required to give employees a ‘meaningful’ reduction in work time while maintaining pay at 100%.
• Companies grappled with the question of what to do for their part-time workers.

The decent pay challenge:

• Inequalities across the labour market mean some workers struggle with having too few work hours to make ends meet (underemployment), while others struggle with having to work too many hours (multiple low-paid jobs). The heart of both these challenges is decent pay.

A four-day work week has deep implications for our planet’s climate. Think holistically and long-term about both the opportunities and pitfalls that a four-day work week might offer.

BBC Future Planet:

• When commutes decrease, so do carbon emissions.
• Less work also means decreased carbon emissions from the sending and storage of data, which is an electricity guzzler.
• When people work less, they engage in more low-carbon activities, volunteer for environmental causes more, and become better eco-friendly consumers.