Study: 4-day workweek improves employee health and satisfaction

Employees perform better and get less tired when they work four days a week , according to a six-month study of thousands of people.

The research, led by Boston College associate professor of sociology Wen Fan and economics professor Juliet Schor , also found that changes in work patterns led to increased job satisfaction and reduced sleep problems .

The study, published in Nature Human Behavior , was designed to test the effects of a four-day workweek with equal pay. It was based on a six-month study involving 2,896 employees from 141 organizations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States. The researchers compared work-related and health indicators—including burnout, job satisfaction, and mental and physical health—before and after the intervention using survey data. An additional 285 employees from 12 companies did not participate in the study and served as controls.

The research found that switching to a four-day workweek resulted in an actual reduction in average working hours of about five hours per week. However, those who reduced their workweek by eight hours or more experienced greater benefits , which the authors attributed to fewer sleep problems and less fatigue.

"The results indicate that the four-day workweek, to preserve income, is an effective organizational intervention for improving worker well-being," the researchers said.