ROME. An “overwhelming success”. So some researchers dubbed the test results of a four-day work week in Iceland, in which employees were paid the same amount for shorter hours. The tests have led unions to renegotiate work patterns, and now 86% of the Icelandic workforce has switched to shorter hours for the same pay, or will be entitled to it, researchers from the British think tank Autonomy and Dell said. ‘Association for Sustainable Democracy (Alda) in Iceland.
According to what was told by the Bbc, testing took place between 2015 and 2019, and productivity remained the same or improved in most workplaces. Numerous other tests are now underway around the world, including in Spain and by Unilever in New Zealand.
In Iceland, trials conducted by the Reykjavík city council and the national government involved more than 2,500 workers, or about 1% of Iceland’s working population. A range of workplaces participated, including kindergartens, offices, social service providers and hospitals. Many of them went from a 40-hour week to a 35- or 36-hour week, the researchers said. Workers reported feeling less stressed and at risk of burnout and said their health and work-life balance improved.
“This study shows that the world‘s largest trial of a shorter workweek in the public sector was an overwhelming success in all respects,” said Will Stronge, director of research at Autonomy. “It shows that the public sector is ripe to be a pioneer of shorter workweeks – and other governments can draw lessons from it.”