What if working fewer days could make people not just happier, but also more productive? A major international study says that’s exactly what’s happening.Published on July 21 in Nature Human Behaviour, the study reveals that moving to a four-day workweek, with no cut in salary, leads to a sharp drop in burnout, significant mental health improvements, and even increased productivity.Over 2,800 employees from 141 companies across six countries participated in the six-month trial. The results were so promising that more than 90% of the companies chose to keep the 4-day schedule even after the study ended.Led by 4 Day Week Global, in collaboration with international researchers, the study is being hailed as one of the strongest scientific arguments yet for rethinking the traditional five-day workweek, and it carries major implications for how workplaces, including schools and universities, might evolve in the years ahead.
A turning point for how the world works
For decades, the five-day, 40-hour workweek was seen as the gold standard of full-time employment. But this study, titled “Work time reduction via a 4-day workweek finds improvements in workers’ well-being”, delivers strong scientific evidence that less can truly be more.Participating companies redesigned workflows, cut back non-essential meetings, and preserved 100% pay, but asked employees to work fewer hours. Their performance was measured against a control group that followed traditional work schedules.What followed was a cascade of positive change, both for workers and businesses.
What exactly improved in the 4-day week trial?
The data from the six-month trial offers a compelling snapshot of how shorter workweeks can transform both employee well-being and business outcomes. When people worked smarter, not longer, here’s what changed:
- Burnout plummeted, with two-thirds of employees reporting lower emotional exhaustion
- Work-related stress dropped by up to 39%
- Anxiety levels fell by 33%
- Mental health scores improved by as much as 38%
- Sleep problems reduced by 40%, with many employees reporting higher energy and better rest
- Staff turnover decreased sharply, while voluntary resignations fell by 57%
- Company revenues either remained stable or rose, some by as much as 35%
- Over 90% of participating companies opted to continue the 4-day workweek even after the trial ended
These results weren’t limited to a few high-tech firms or progressive startups. The gains were seen across industries, job types, and company sizes, making a strong case that the 4-day week is scalable, sustainable, and widely beneficial.
Why this matters for employees
For employees across sectors, especially in high-pressure roles, this study brings welcome clarity: working fewer hours doesn’t mean doing less. It means doing better.The 4-day workweek model shows that reduced hours can lead to real, measurable gains in well-being, focus, and performance. For professionals navigating long hours, back-to-back meetings, and blurred work-life boundaries, this is more than a perk—it’s a possible path to long-term sustainability.Even modest reductions in work hours delivered benefits across the board, from improved mental health to sharper job satisfaction. The message is clear: quality of work can improve when quantity of hours is intelligently reduced.Employees, team leads, and HR professionals alike may now begin asking:
- Can high-output teams achieve the same with fewer meetings and better workflows?
- Could compressed weeks or flexible Fridays become the new norm?
- Should success be measured by impact, not hours on the clock?
In a post-pandemic workforce where burnout is increasingly normalised, this global study offers a powerful counterpoint: you don’t have to burn out to perform well. In fact, the opposite may be true.TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here.
