Shorter work weeks gain traction; UAE was one of the first movers

It’s being referred to as the dawning of a new era in work-life balance: The findings of a new British pilot project — organised at the behest of 4 Day Week Global, the 4 Day Week Campaign in the United Kingdom and the think tank Autonomy — have revealed that it has been an exercise in all-round success.

Good news for the employees, who are much happier, in better health and more enthusiastic to meet work goals head-on, and good news for companies that were part of this project because they realised that productivity has spiked — with absolutely no downsides. Close to 2,900 employees across 61 companies were part of this six-month experiment, at the end of which many companies have decided to incorporate the four-day work week as the new normal.

“We feel really encouraged by the results, which showed the many ways companies were turning the four-day week from a dream into a realistic policy, with multiple benefits,” said David Frayne, a research associate at University of Cambridge who worked on the trial, in a statement. “We think there is a lot here that ought to motivate other companies and industries to give it a try.”

In a post-pandemic world, where people were emotionally vulnerable and dealing with complex mental issues, the UAE had been quick on the uptake, and introduced a reduced work week last year when the UAE public sector transitioned to a flexible Friday, and Saturday-Sunday-off model. (The emirate of Sharjah, in fact, announced a straight off four-day work week for the public sector, with Friday being declared a full holiday.)