If 2022 was the year of experimenting with workplace models, then 2023 will mark the beginning of solidifying these arrangements.
Countries around the world spent much of the year testing out four-day workweeks and their impact on the workplace —and the results have been far beyond what experts could imagine.
Workers have reported higher productivity, satisfaction levels and overall quality of life thanks to an extended weekend.
However, trial and error will once again be part of the process in ironing out the details of a shorter workweek. Because there is no one-size fits all approach to work models, field experiments such as the 4 Day Week Global pilot study will help provide deep insight into what does and doesn’t work in a shorter week.
This also means having an understanding that a short work week may never be able to represent the total working population without major labor increases. Instead, studies will reveal which jobs most benefit from a four-day workweek, and how other industries can achieve similar flexibility.
While this certainly doesn’t mean that there is no possibility of a shorter workweek for many front-line workers, it suggests that more needs to be done to study the intricacies of flexibility and how all workers can reap these benefits.
