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An Icelandic four day week - 2nd August 2021

Trials of a four day week in Iceland have been an overwhelming success and have led to many workers moving to shorter work schedules. The study, run by Reykjavik City Council and the Icelandic government, followed more than 2,500 workers. This amounts to around one percent of Iceland’s working population.

According to researchers from UK think tank Autonomy and Iceland’s Association for Sustainable Democracy (Alda), productivity had been unaffected in the majority of workplaces. And in some cases, it had even improved. Consequently, 86 percent of the local labour force has now either opted for reduced hours at their usual pay rate or will soon have the right to do so.

Undertaken between 2015 and 2019, a variety of workplaces featured in the trial. Preschools, offices, social service providers and hospitals saw many staff switch their usual 40 hour week down to 35 or 36 hours. The experiment has seen unions renegotiating working patterns.

Reports of decreases in stress and burnout evidenced improved work-life balance and mirrored gains in health. Participants highlighted being able to connect more with family and dedicate additional time to leisure activities and household chores.

Will Stronge, director of research at Autonomy, said: "This study shows that the world's largest ever trial of a shorter working week in the public sector was by all measures an overwhelming success. It shows that the public sector is ripe for being a pioneer of shorter working weeks – and lessons can be learned for other governments."

Companies in Spain are now piloting a four day working week, in part due to coronavirus challenges. Meanwhile, consumer goods giant Unilever is running a trial in New Zealand. Its staff are given the opportunity to cut their hours by 20 percent, without affecting their existing salary.