From UAE To New Zealand: These Countries Have Shifted To Four-Day Work Week

Many of us begin our Monday with the hangover of the previous weekend or plans about the next one. People who work from Monday to Friday (or any other five days of the week) tend to lose steam by the third day of the week; their wishful thinking makes them dream about an extra off.?

At times they hit the jackpot when there is an official holiday in a week and the total number of working days reduce to four days only.?

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As the push for a four-day work week was already gaining support across the world, the radical changes to office life have made the idea seem more viable to businesses around the world. Now Belgium will offer employees the opportunity to work a four-day week. In recent years,? many other countries have also adopted a four-day work week schedule and went on to record a noticeable increase in productivity. From UAE to New Zealand, here is the list of countries across the globe that have shifted to a 4-day work week. Take a look:

1. Spain

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Last year, the Spanish government has announced that it will experiment with a trial four-day work week, according to the Guardian. The Spanish government agreed to a 32-hour workweek over three years, without cutting workers’ compensation.

2. Iceland

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From 2015 to 2019, Iceland ran the world's largest trial of a shorter working week. An analysis of the results showed measurable success! Everyone was happier, healthier, and more productive.

A study of 2,500 workers in Iceland, more than 1% of the workforce, was conducted to see if shortened work days lead to more productivity and a happier workforce. The trials were made across an array of different types of workplaces, including preschools, offices, social service providers, and hospitals.

3. Scotland

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After the success of Iceland's four-day work week, Scotland also join the club of 4-day work week countries to try out a new way of balancing work and personal life. According to reports, the country is brainstorming ideas on how to execute this as several people have said they would prefer to have a four-day week and a three-day weekend.

Based on the research of the think tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Scotland found that 80 per cent of people think that slashing their number of days at work - with no loss of pay - would have a 'positive effect on their wellbeing.'?

4. Ireland

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Ireland has also launched its pilot program that will test the effectiveness of a four-day working week, with no loss in pay for employees. This programme began in January 2022.?

Under the new program, organizations will receive support, training, and mentoring on how to make the four-day week work. The Irish government will also fund research to assess the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the program. Reportedly, 17 companies located across the country signed up for the programme.?

5. New Zealand

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Two years ago, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested employers consider a four-day working week and other flexible working options. Staff at Barnes’ company Perpetual Guardian have been working four days a week since 2018. They implemented the four-day week, where staff are paid the same amount for working fewer days after a six-week trial found productivity had improved by 20 percent.

6. Japan

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The nation that has always talked of work efficiency and quality, sighed towards the four-day work week by urging firms to adopt the pattern. It was in June 2021 that Japan government?started an initiative that asked companies to start a four-day workweek with an aim to improve the nation's work-life balance. Panasonic is the latest Japanese company to break with Japan's workaholic culture and offer a 4-day workweek.

7. UAE

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The UAE slashed its official working week to four-and-a-half days in early December 2021 and transitioned from the five-day work week. As per the reports, the new change came into effect on January 1, 2022. Referring to this, the UAE Government Media Office informed that the new change has been implemented to improve work-life balance and productivity.

8. Belgium

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Belgium has joined a host of other countries that are offering employees a four-day workweek as part of its changes in labour laws in a post-COVID era.

Announcing the reform package, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said the employee empowerment policy would make people and businesses stronger after two difficult years with the pandemic.

What do you think? Should India switch to four day work week??

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