What happened: Trials of a four-day week in Iceland were an “overwhelming success” and led to many workers moving to shorter hours, researchers have said.
Details : The trials run by Reykjavík City Council Iceland and the Iceland government had 2500 participants, which almost accounts for 1% of Iceland’s working population. They had two trials, from 2015 to 2019, where people worked a reduced workweek of 35 to 36 hours and had no pay reduction. According to the researchers, overall productivity either remained the same or improved in the majority of workplaces. This led to unions negotiating for shorter hours without a pay cut that the government granted. Consequently, 86% of Iceland’s workforce opted to work for shorter hours. Director of research, Will Stronge, said: “This study shows that the world’s largest ever trial of a shorter working week in the public sector was by all measures an overwhelming success.” People reported feeling less stressed, saying their health and work-life balance improved drastically. This also helped them spend more time with their families, do hobbies and complete household chores. A number of other trials are now being run across the world, including in Spain and by Unilever in New Zealand. Read more on Propergaanda.