Reduces stress and increases productivity… psychological benefits of working 4 days a week

Limiting the number of working days per week to four reduces the stress experienced by workers and leads to a small increase in productivity, according to a report published on Friday on the impact of adopting the this formula in Germany.

Over six months, 41 German companies participated in a program launched by the company “Intrapreneur“, which involves reducing working hours, or even limiting themselves to four working days a week, which is a historic request from unions in Germany.

The University of Münster and the international initiative “4 Day Week Global” also took part in coordinating the project, which now involves 8 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Portugal.

Advantages of limiting the weekly working days to four

The main conclusion of the German study was that a four-day working week with no change in the number of working hours per week ensures a “significant” improvement in mental health the worker is physical.

This was monitored for 6 months using smart watches, hair samples and self-assessment.

The study pointed out that this finding contradicts “the idea that wanting to complete the workload in less time may lead to an increase in the stress experienced by the worker”. ‘feel’.

On average, participants spent 178 minutes less stressed during the week compared to 191 minutes before the experiment began.

They exercised more and slept an average of 38 minutes more each week.

The researchers predicted that these “positive effects” on health would lead to a “long-term reduction in absenteeism from work.”

Those included in the study believed that their productivity had increased slightly, without their workload changing at the same time. However, the study was cautious about productivity, and identified limitations another.

Union application

For example, the four-day working week has not been proven to increase a company’s profits, or reduce sick leave or its carbon footprint. However, after the experiment, 39% of companies decided to accept four-day work a week, and 34% said they would continue with the experiment.

More than half of the companies included in the study employ between 10 and 50 employees in the services, manufacturing or construction sectors.

Since the Covid-19 crisis, working four days a week has become an ongoing topic of discussion in Germany.

This issue was one of the most prominent demands of the Train Drivers’ Union during its dispute with the national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, last March.

The steel industry unions also put forward this demand, but agreed with the employers in December on a “joint” reduction in working hours from 35 to 32 hours, with partial wage compensation.