Work time reduction: a critical analysis of the main arguments for adopting a 4-day workweek

Abstract

Over the past five years, the private sector, policymakers, and civil society have developed a growing interest in reduced working hours. The rapid growth of 4-day workweek pilots in multiple firms across different countries has led to considerable scholarly attention regarding this topic. However, most of this discussion is taking place outside of the academic domain. The lack of representativeness of academic literature on the ongoing debate implies that a comprehensive scientific review of the arguments about the 4-day workweek is still missing. This chapter fills this gap by critically assessing the most frequently cited arguments for adopting shorter weeks-increasing productivity, improving well-being, correcting gender imbalances, and reducing environmental impact-showing that some of these arguments lack sound scientific support. It frames the 4-day workweek discussion in the general debate about reducing working time in different periods in time and discusses the results of the main 4-day workweek pilots carried out over the most recent years.