Especially after the pandemic, flexible working schedules keep popping up, either through working from distance, or less hours. Only a few countries have embraced working 4 days a week, instead of 5 or 6, and case studies have shown positive results. Some of them include, the UK, which has recently begun one of the largest trials of the 4-day working week, Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, Spain and the UAE. The 5-day a week is one of the most common ones, however, with the evolution of technology, longer hours don't necessarily guarantee a higher productivity, most likely the opposite.
Some of the benefits 4-day work week include:
Reduced costs on both ends, employees will have one less day to commute to work, while avoiding paying extra money for lunch, coffees etc. The employers on the other hand, will have the office closed for one more day, reducing running costs.
Happier employees and better mental health. Having more free time increase overall happiness and improves work-life balance, which can result into lower levels of stress and a generally better mental health, something which is suffering in our day and age.
And most importantly, increase in productivity levels. Overworked and stressed employees are actually less productive than those working a normal or reduced working week.
My case - Example to avoid
By law, in Greece (and most of Europe to be honest) the typical working week comprises of 40 working hours. However, this rarely happens in the private sector, where in most cases you're working up to 48 hours/week, with one day off in a week. In the tourism sector, it's actually a lot worse. Employees are working 7 days/week, up to 8-10 hours per day and not usually not being paid good enough.
Personally, in May, I started working at a known supermarket chain for 20 hours/week (part-time). I wanted to take a little time off, after working for 4 years full-time with only one day off per week. My plan backfired though, the money wasn't enough to keep up with the increasing living costs and started working at a hotel's restaurant, another 24 hours/week. Recently, I was proposed to work the night shift at the hotel's reception, because the former employee had some family business to attend to and had to leave. Me, wanting to make some extra money due to having upcoming expenses, accepted. Now, I'm working 16 hours per day, except Sunday and Monday which are my days off from the supermarket, which equal to 100 hours/week (a week is comprised of 168 hours). Of course, I will only be doing that for September, and here I am, writing this post during the graveyard shift.
How many hours/week is the typical in your country? How many hours are you actually working and how does a 4 day work week sound?