The 4-day work week: a recipe for efficiency and well-being?

Studies show that more and more people suffer from professional burnout, which is a direct result of neglecting rest. Therefore, the rise in popularity of the idea of a 4-day work week in the world, shows that people are beginning to value work-life balance. This reflects a deeper shift in approach to work and life, with an emphasis on results-oriented performance and concrete effects.

British companies love the 4-day work week

Studies of companies that have taken part in the British pilot of the 4-day work week show promising results. As many as 51% of them decided to permanently introduce this solution one year after the end of the experiment, and 30% immediately after its completion. The reduction of the working week had a positive impact on both the well-being of workers and the decline in turnover in the UK. Employee turnover is also a serious problem for Polish companies — according to the Polish Institute of Economics, in Poland over the past twenty years, on average every tenth employee ends an employment relationship every year, This means that more than one million employees change jobs every year.

The impact of well-being goes far beyond employee comfort and satisfaction

The well-being of employees is not just a matter of their well-being. It has a significant impact on many aspects, such as the number of sick days, work efficiency, burnout, as well as the likelihood of leaving the organization. This can be seen in the example of costs associated with lost productivity. According to Gallup data, these costs amount to as much as $322 billion in turnover worldwide, as a consequence of the professional burnout of employees.

A 4-day work week is otherwise the 100-80-100 method

The current craze of the four-day week started with the New Zealand-based company Perpetual Guardian. Its owner Andrew Barnes decided to test the idea on his own company and then due to a lot of interest around the world, Barnes founded 4 Day Global Week, a non-profit company. The 100:80:100 method developed (and proprietary) by them assumes the generation of 100% of production in 80% of the working time, while maintaining 100% of the salary for employees. The initiators of the method, were based on the principle of Parkinson's law [Parkinson's law states that work stretches to fill the time allotted to it.] This method has been tested in more than 350 companies and finally guarantees different possibilities for implementing a four-day week. Dale Whelehan, CEO of 4 Day Week Global, stresses that the key to success is to focus on productivity. Research shows that people who have more free time are more rested and motivated to work, which translates into better performance.

Poland and the 4-day work week

The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy does not rule out the introduction of a 4-day working week in Poland, but stresses the need for in-depth analysis and consultation. Consideration should be given to the impact on public finances, the competitiveness of the economy and the labour market. It should also be noted that Poles are one of the longest-working societies in Europe, which does not necessarily translate into efficiency. And the truth is that employee well-being is critical to productivity — happy and rested employees are less likely to get sick, are more productive, and less likely to burn out.