Research
South Africa Pilot Results are here!
The first South African 4 day week trial took place for a period of six months from March to August in 2023. Pilot participants went through a planning phase coordinated by 4 Day Week Global which involved two months of workshops, coaching, mentoring, and peer support.
Check out the results of the pilot program here!
Our Research Reports
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2023 South Africa Pilot Program Report
Pilot Program Research
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2023 Long-Term Pilot Program Report
Pilot Program Research
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2023 Australasia Pilot Program Report
Pilot Program Research
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2023 UK Pilot Program Report
Pilot Program Research
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2022 USA/Ireland Pilot Program Report
Pilot Program Research
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2019 Perpetual Guardian White Paper
Trial report
Global Insights
One day of paid work a week is all we need to get mental health benefits of employment
As automation advances, predictions of a jobless future have some fearing unrest from mass unemployment, while others imagine a more contented work-free society.
Aside from economic factors, paid employment brings other benefits – often psychological – such as self-esteem and social inclusion.
Now, researchers at the universities of Cambridge and Salford have set out to define a recommended “dosage” of work for optimal wellbeing.
Four Better or Four Worse?
Henley Business School’s research delves deeper into the pros and cons of four-day working week and whether it’s good for business.
Our research explores the relationships between these workers, what drives them, what their needs are and how businesses need to adapt to meet them.
Tips for Promoting Employee Well-Being & Mental Health in the Workplace by Rider University.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “for every US $1 put into scaled-up treatment for common mental disorders, there is a return of US $4 in improved health and productivity.” Developing programs to support mental health in the workplace should be a priority for managers, senior leaders, and human resources professionals.
Does Employee Happiness Have an Impact on Productivity?
This article provides quasi-experimental evidence on the relationship between employee happiness and productivity in the field. We study the universe of call center sales workers at British Telecom (BT), one of the United Kingdom’d largest private employers. We measure their happiness over a 6 month period using a novel weekly survey instrument, and link these reports with highly detailed administrative data on workplace behaviors and various measures of employee performance. We show that workers make around 13% more sales in weeks where they report being happy compared to weeks when they are unhappy.
The ROI in workplace mental health programs: Good for people, good for business.
Poor mental health among the workforce imposes tremendous costs on Canadian employers. Yet barriers to investment in workplace mental health remain, including a lack of knowledge of best practices, as well as a lack of evidence that such investments can have a positive impact on the bottom line.1 To overcome these barriers, Canadian employers require real-world evidence that workplace mental health programs are an investment that yields valuable returns, rather than a cost. This study, the first of its kind conducted within the Canadian context, provides such evidence.
Work Hours and CO2 Emissions: Evidence from U.S. Households
By Anders Fremstad, Mark Paul & Anthony Underwood, Review of Political Economy, 2019
The degrowth movement proposes worktime reduction policies to help high-income countries meet their climate goals while supporting full employment. However, the work hours elasticity of carbon emissions remains uncertain despite a growing number of empirical analyses. This paper estimates the impact of work hours on emissions using household data from the United States.
Time Poor and Unhappy
We're completely strapped for time because we don't know how to value it. Here's how to break out of that mindset. By Ashley Whillans, Harvard Business Review, January 2019.
Why the pursuit of money isn’t bringing you joy - and what will.
Health and safety at work
Work-related ill health and occupational disease in Great Britain. Occupational lung diseases contributing to estimated 12,000 annual current deaths in 2020.
Reduced Work Hours as a Means of Slowing Climate Change
By David Rosnick, February 2013
This paper estimates the impact on climate change of reducing work hours over the rest of the century by an annual average of 0.5%.
Are Shorter Work Hours Good for the Environment?
A Comparison of U.S. and European Energy Consumption by David Rosnick and Mark Weisbrot, December 2006
If Americans chose to take advantage of their high level of productivity by shortening the workweek or taking longer vacations rather than producing more, there would follow a number of benefits.