Four Day Work Week a Success in Iceland

Researchers say that trials of a four day work week in Iceland are an “overwhelming success”, leading to many people working shorter hours.

Trials taking place between 2015 and 2019 saw employees paid the same amount for working less hours. In the majority of cases, productivity stayed the same or improved.

Trials are now running in other countries across the world, including in Spain and at Unilever in New Zealand.

The trials run by Reykjavik City Council and Iceland’s government included over 2,500 workers. This equates to around 1% of the nation’s working population. A lot of them moved from a 40 hour week to working 35 or 36 hours a week.

A right to shorter hours

These trials have driven unions to renegotiate working patterns. Now 86% of Iceland’s workforce either work shorter hours for the same amount of pay, or will gain the right to do so.

Workers were much happier, reporting feelings of less stress and a lower risk of burnout, with an improved work-life balance.

The study was the world’s largest ever trial of a shorter working week in the public sector, and is proven a success. Researchers say “lessons can be learned for other governments”. “The Icelandic shorter working week journey tells us that not only is it possible to work less in modern times, but that progressive change is possible too”.

Spain is now piloting a four day work week for companies, partly because of challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Unilever in New Zealand is now also running a trial offering employees the opportunity to cut hours by 20% without reducing their pay.

campaigners in the UK commissioned a report in May suggesting that shorter working hours could help cut the country’s carbon footprint.

Thank you for reading Four Day Work Week a Success in Iceland

---