4-day workweek gets boost from UK study

"A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" (1884) by Georges Seurat

Turns out shorter workweeks actually improve employee wellness and productivity

(Image credit: Heritage Art / Heritage Images via Getty Images)

published 29 February 2024

What happened?

"The four-day workweek is proving to be the gift that keeps on giving," NPR News said Wednesday. In a new study of 61 British companies that began a six-month trial of the four-day workweek in 2022, 54 companies are still using the truncated schedule and 31 have made it permanent.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.