The Benefits of a Four-Day Work Week for Employee Health and Well-Being

The world is still dealing with shortening the working week from five days to four. The most recent British survey, in which three thousand employees from various industries were involved, showed that not only personal relationships improved, but also health. Some people are said to have even ended depression, feelings of burnout or sleep problems. It is said that a number of men also began to be much more involved in the running of the household.

Less time at work. According to British researchers from Oxford, Cambridge and Boston universities, this is the medicine for today’s busy times.

Three thousand employees in 61 companies worked only four days instead of five, and that for the same pay. They had to do their usual work.

“We found that the shorter working week meant that men began to spend far more time with their families and even became more involved in housework,” said Charlotte Lockhart, founder and chief executive of 4DWG.

But people’s health also improved, for example the feeling of burnout disappeared in 70 percent of employees. They are said to have started to enjoy social life much more, found not only new hobbies, but also friends. Almost the majority of companies in which the survey was conducted remained with a shorter working week.

According to surveys, Czechs would also welcome a four-day work week. Up to 70 percent of employees would like less time at work for the same money.

“We know that in some professions productivity will increase, even more than if they worked five days a week. The point is that the person has to schedule it correctly, structure it correctly in order to use that time effectively and then really even in shorter working hours it can be more efficient than the longer one,” explained psychologist Tomáš Morávek.

Some, mainly technology companies in the Czech Republic have already introduced a four-day work week. Many employers have even gone so far as to offer people unlimited time off, provided they complete a long-term project they’ve been working on.

Jiří Zabilanský, an employee of Direct pojišťovna, has also been using unlimited leave for several years. “I don’t have to focus on whether I’ve used up a day, two or three. If I have time off for Christmas to be with the kids,” he boasts.

According to economists, the widespread introduction of unlimited time off or a four-day working week in the Czech Republic is not yet realistic.

“Our country has problems with a lack of employees, at the moment, if we were to reduce working hours, we would need an even greater number of employees, and thus our problem on the labor market would deepen,” believes economist Štěpán Křeček.

For many employees, a shorter working week would also mean less frequent additions of money.

drz, TN.cz