Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Four-day week 'an overwhelming success' in Iceland
How long do you work a week? Eight times five, ten times four, or less? In most industrialized countries, a 40-hour workweek has been quite normal at least in the last few decades. But is it too long, too short, or just about right? In some countries like Germany and the Netherlands, the average work-hour or workweek is shorter but their productivities remain higher than most other countries. So, how long is the best or better? Iceland tried a four-day workweek among their public workers between 2015 and 2019 and found that the productivity was not deteriorated by shorter workhours while workers’ well-being improved. They felt less stress and enjoyed a better work-life balance. The 20th century was the time when the workweek changed from six days to five days. Will we witness another workday reduction in this century? Robots, AI, mobile devices, cloud, work-from-home, and gig-workers. As technologies and workstyle improve productivity, it may not be so surprising to see shorter work hours around the world.
Enjoy reading the article and think about how long or which work style suits you the best to improve your productivity and wellbeing.
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