BRENDAN BURCHEL: A four-day week could work well in SA

Global interest in investigating the possibility of reducing people’s working hours has surged exponentially since the Covid-19 pandemic. The SA results from an initial four-day work week (4DW) trial, released recently, align with international studies and showcase some compelling benefits.

Recent 4DW trials in the US, Ireland and the UK have vividly illustrated the advantages for both employees and employers that can be obtained through reduced working hours. In general, the outcomes from SA’s counterparts reinforce the viability of such an approach, mirroring the successes witnessed in other trials.

The 100-80-100 model (ensuring 100% pay, 80% hours, and 100% productivity), pioneered in New Zealand six years ago, has proven effective in SA. It has yielded multiple benefits, fostering employee wellbeing, enhancing work-life balance and empowering employers to boost productivity and attract the best talent.

Findings from research teams at the Stellenbosch Business School and Boston College now contribute to the growing body of evidence from other countries, marking the first proof that this model could operate successfully within an emerging economy.

A pivotal aspect of this mutually beneficial transformation involves consultants imparting knowledge on redesigning workplaces for more efficient work within shorter time frames. These trials demonstrate its applicability across a variety of workplaces.

Drawing from the experience of the UK, which ran a similar trial in 2022, the ripple effects can be seen far beyond the trial itself. The 4DW became a topic of conversation across newspapers, social media and among policymakers. Many of the 60 firms involved in the UK trial reported that other firms they interacted with were emulating their reductions in working time.

Experiments are under way to extend the trials beyond the private sector. In the UK one local authority, South Cambridgeshire, recently concluded its independent three-month trial and the results were again hugely positive in terms of the quality of the service provided and the wellbeing of employees, leading to the renewal of the trial for a 12-month period. 

The council reported that for previously challenging vacancies, it has an enhanced appeal as an employer due to the 4DW facilitated recruitment, saving substantial amounts previously spent on agency fees.

Recently the Scottish government announced plans for a 4DW trial in some government departments, set to start in early 2024. Trade unions are also waking up to the potential of working time reduction to improve the working lives of their members. In the US United Auto Workers have incorporated the 4DW as one of its demands in the strike against Detroit car factories. 

Some governments, notably Belgium, are exploring ways to incentivise working time reductions through tax breaks for employers. Several US states, including Maine, have started to implement four-day weeks and other working time reductions for state employees. 

Even companies not yet ready for the 20% reduction in working time are cottoning on to the fact that even modest working time reductions can be a better way to attract, motivate and retain the best staff, while being less costly than hiking salaries.

As the international evidence builds we are gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the advantages of the 4DW. There was some understandable initial scepticism about whether the beneficial effects might wear off after the first six months as the new way of working went past its “honeymoon” period and became a new norm.

However, follow-up studies in the US and Canada, and current assessments of UK firms that first reduced their working time more than a year ago, are showing that the positive results show little sign of diminishing with time. 

As the global data set of companies that have adopted the 4DW grows to several hundred (now including the SA case studies) there is increasing evidence that the “100-80-100” model not only works in professional services but has been successfully implemented in manufacturing, retail, schools and other sectors. 

It could be that the 4DW is like the genie that cannot be put back in the bottle — once people realise that a 50% increase in their weekends is a real possibility and understand its viability, old work norms tend to become untenable.

• Burchell, a professor at the University of Cambridge and fellow of Magdalene College Cambridge, led the Cambridge team’s contribution to the UK’s Four Day Work Week trial. He is a visitor at the Stellenbosch Business School.