Scotland To Experiment With A Four-Day Work Week To 'Boost' Productivity
Scotland 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.
After Iceland's success with a four-day workweek, Scotland is the latest country to try out the 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.'
Shutterstock
The survey also concluded that 88 per cent of people are willing to take part in trial schemes.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The pandemic has served to intensify interest in and support for more flexible working practices, which could include a shift to a four-day working week. Reductions in the working week might help sustain more and better jobs, and enhance wellbeing. We are in the early stages of designing a ?10 million pilot that will help companies explore the benefits and costs of moving to a four-day working week. The pilot will allow us to develop a better understanding of the implications of a broader shift to a shorter working week across the economy."
Rachel Statham, a senior research fellow at IPPR Scotland, said: "The Scottish Government is right to be trialling a four-day working week because today's evidence shows that it is a policy with overwhelming public support, and could be a positive step towards building an economy hardwired for wellbeing. But any successful transition post-Covid-19 must include all kinds of workplaces, and all types of work. The full-time, nine-to-five office job is not how many people across Scotland work - and shorter working time trials need to reflect that reality."
"So we must examine what shorter working time looks like from the perspective of shift workers, those working excessive hours to make ends meet, or those who currently have fewer hours than they would like to have," she added.
Shutterstock
The survey also found that 65 per cent of people believe a shorter working week could boost Scotland's productivity.
