Jul 14, 2021 04:56 PM
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/iceland-...-work-week
EXCERPT: Working fewer hours for the same pay? It’s no surprise that proved popular among employees in an Iceland-wide study [...] Naturally, this sparked headlines declaring the trial an “overwhelming success”. But ... there are a few caveats to note about this research before everyone stops coming into work on Fridays.
First, despite the headlines [...] Iceland didn’t trial a four-day work week. Instead, the two trials reduced hours from 40 each week to 35 or 36. Some could choose to manage their remaining hours over four days, but this project was about understanding the impact of fewer hours, not specifically the idea of a four-day week. After the trial, unions did successfully reduce working hours, but for some public sector staff by just 13 minutes a day and for shop workers only 35 minutes per week.
The idea of a four-day work week isn’t as fashionable in Iceland as it is in the UK, says Guðmundur Haraldsson, coauthor of the report and Alda researcher. “It’s discussed somewhat, but it’s not the most prominent idea being discussed,” he says. “The phrase four-day week is more understood in the UK.”
A second caveat: while productivity gains made up for fewer working hours, not all jobs can be done in shorter shifts, and the Icelandic government had to hire more healthcare workers at a cost of £24.2 million annually, though that’s not a significant increase on the government’s £5.1 billion annual budget.
One last caveat about this study: the headlines are based on a report by Icelandic research organisation the Association for Sustainability and Democracy (Alda) and UK thinktank Autonomy, but neither were directly involved with the trials. Instead, those two thinktanks – both of which actively lobby the government about shorter working weeks – summarised in English the results of a pair of Icelandic trials, both run by the local government working with unions...
[...] Those caveats aside, what can we take away from Iceland’s experience? Regardless of the type of work – and the trials included schools, city maintenance, police stations, care homes and even the Reykjavík mayor’s office, among others – productivity doesn’t slip if we cut hours... (MORE - details)
EXCERPT: Working fewer hours for the same pay? It’s no surprise that proved popular among employees in an Iceland-wide study [...] Naturally, this sparked headlines declaring the trial an “overwhelming success”. But ... there are a few caveats to note about this research before everyone stops coming into work on Fridays.
First, despite the headlines [...] Iceland didn’t trial a four-day work week. Instead, the two trials reduced hours from 40 each week to 35 or 36. Some could choose to manage their remaining hours over four days, but this project was about understanding the impact of fewer hours, not specifically the idea of a four-day week. After the trial, unions did successfully reduce working hours, but for some public sector staff by just 13 minutes a day and for shop workers only 35 minutes per week.
The idea of a four-day work week isn’t as fashionable in Iceland as it is in the UK, says Guðmundur Haraldsson, coauthor of the report and Alda researcher. “It’s discussed somewhat, but it’s not the most prominent idea being discussed,” he says. “The phrase four-day week is more understood in the UK.”
A second caveat: while productivity gains made up for fewer working hours, not all jobs can be done in shorter shifts, and the Icelandic government had to hire more healthcare workers at a cost of £24.2 million annually, though that’s not a significant increase on the government’s £5.1 billion annual budget.
One last caveat about this study: the headlines are based on a report by Icelandic research organisation the Association for Sustainability and Democracy (Alda) and UK thinktank Autonomy, but neither were directly involved with the trials. Instead, those two thinktanks – both of which actively lobby the government about shorter working weeks – summarised in English the results of a pair of Icelandic trials, both run by the local government working with unions...
[...] Those caveats aside, what can we take away from Iceland’s experience? Regardless of the type of work – and the trials included schools, city maintenance, police stations, care homes and even the Reykjavík mayor’s office, among others – productivity doesn’t slip if we cut hours... (MORE - details)