How the four-day working week could affect health

Evidence suggests that a four-day working week may have positive economic effects. Now it is time to examine the likely effects on public health.

There is ongoing discussion about the economic merits and risks of moving from a five-day to a four-day working week¹. Proponents argue that employers can maintain or even improve service delivery by changing work processes, empowering workers to be more efficient and manage their time better, improving teamwork and workflows, and assisting the adoption of new technologies. When successfully implemented, employees are better off (with the same salary and more leisure time) and there is no reduction in employers’ output¹. However, a progressive implementation and constant monitoring are crucial for such success. Additionally, there are risks of lower output if such economic benefits are not generalizable to all sectors of the economy¹.