4 day work week experiment

Changes around the world

4 day work week experiment

Opinions regarding the 4 day work week

[ 해외 특파원 1기 / 김정욱 기자 ] European companies have decided to implement the 4-day work week experiment, which has influenced smaller firms to consider this option. This change is currently being executed by the United States government through the name of ‘Working 32 hours a week’.

CBS news broadcasted that Mark Takano, the member of the lower house, have gained momentum by the support of progressive caucus when announcing this new bill. Takano Member’s renewed bill was limiting the working hours to a total of 32 hours a week, and this time if the worker works over the service allowance per hour, the wages shall be paid separately. This means that the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act made in 1938 will revise the standard working week from 40 hours to 32 hours. He describes that “the main goal of this change is not to prohibit people from working more than 32 hours, but to pay an extra subsidy if the person is working over the time limit”.

Representative Takano declared in a statement, “People spend less time with their loved ones because they spend more and more time at work,” stressing that, “Health and welfare are deteriorating and salaries are congested. The time has come for change,”. As a basis, companies that experimented with shorter working hours improved worker productivity by 15%, enabling work-life balance, and minimising the need to use sick leave. He also added that employers can reduce health insurance premiums for employees and operating expenses at workplaces.

Attempts to reducing working hours were first made in Europe. Iceland, a Nordic country, conducted a national experiment that piloted a four-day work week for various occupations such as kindergarten teachers, office workers, social workers, and hospital workers for four years from 2015 to 2019. They worked only four days a week for the same wages as before, and 1% of Iceland’s total working population participated in the experiment. The New York Times (NYT) stated, “The Icelandic experiment concluded to be a tremendous success,” adding, “The participating workers found a balance between work and life while maintaining the performance and productivity and achieved better collaboration at work.” According to a report by Iceland’s Sustainable Democratic Union (ALDA), 8 out of 10 participants moved to a company with shorter working hours after the end of the experiment. The report emphasized that “shortening working hours should be considered a desirable and viable policy under today’s state-of-the-art economic structure.” 

CBS cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the recent surge in discussions on the four-day work week. Previously, there was a strong “myth of face-to-face work” that workers should gather in one space to increase work efficiency and improve morale. However, as people experienced telecommuting during the COVID-19 pandemic, they realized that the amount and quality of work did not decrease and were able to conduct work at the comfort of their own homes. Simultaneously, the people explained that telecommuting has rather increased working hours, and the resulting fatigue is the cause of mass resignation, and the argument for introducing a four-day work week has gained momentum.