Work time reduction: the 4-day work week

Resumo

Research into work time has focused on multiple themes such as social struggles to reduce it, links with technological and organisational innovation and the emergence of new ways of reorganising it in economic organisations (Epstein and Kalleberg, 2001, van den Scott, 2014). In this context, the 4-day work week (4DWW) has become a topic of growing international interest (Bird, 2010; Fitzgerald, 1996; Gomes, 2021; Gomes & Fontinha, 2023; Kallis et al., 2013; Lepinteur, 2019; Lewis et al., 2023; Reidhead, 2022; Stagl, 2014; Veal, 2022), not only because it allows workers more free time and, at the same time, controls the negative effects of long working hours, promoting workers' well-being and performance (Chakraborty et al., 2022; Chung, 2022; Coote et al., 2021; Lepinteur, 2019; Stronge et al., 2019), but also for its potential to respond to some of today's contemporary challenges, such as technological innovation, environmental problems, gender inequalities and workers' health and well-being challenges (Chung, 2022; Coote et al., 2021; Delaney & Casey, 2021; Gomes, 2021; Veal, 2022). It can take different forms in terms of reducing working hours, and the day off is not necessarily Friday (Bird, 2010; Chung, 2022). Several companies and organisations in different countries such as Belgium, the USA, Scotland, Spain, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Portugal have experimented with moving to a 4-day work week through pilot projects (Chung, 2022; Lewis et al., 2023; OLoughlin, 2022; Sanchis, 2023; Shalders, 2023; Gomes & Fontinha, 2023b).[...]