Four Days Of Work, Three Days Of Life: Japan Joins Global Shorter Week Revolution

The long-held dream of a permanent three-day weekend among workers around the world is taking shape. As global work culture evolves, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, momentum has grown around the concept of a four-day workweek. With more countries and businesses rethinking old concepts of productivity and work-life balance, this movement is gaining momentum worldwide.

Implementing a four-day workweek model is based on the "100-80-100" formula. If workers maintain 100% productivity, they will receive 100% of their salary for working 80% of the time under this structure. '4 Day Week Global', a campaign that started in Germany in late 2023, is spearheading this movement. In nations like Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, the project has had positive outcomes since its inception.

In order to prevent women from having to choose between their jobs and their families, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike underlined the significance of allowing flexible work schedules. With a national fertility rate of only 1.2 and an even lower 0.99 in Tokyo, Japan is experiencing a severe population crisis. The unequal distribution of unpaid domestic labor-Japanese women are said to perform five times as much housework as men-is a major contributing element to the imbalance. The new policy may encourage men to engage more equitably at home by granting them more flexible hours.

Though these policies seem promising, experts like Julia Hobsbawm warn that they need to be tailored to the particular work culture and industrial dynamics of each nation.

In this regard, several countries have already achieved progress. As part of the post-pandemic Labor Deal, Belgium became the first country in Europe to formally implement a four-day workweek in 2022. Employees are not penalized if they shorten a 40-hour workweek into four days. Additionally, it gives workers at larger companies the "right to disconnect," which allows them to disregard work-related messages after hours. Crucially, both the employer and the employee must agree to participate in the shortened workweek; it is entirely voluntary. Every six months, each agreement is examined to make sure it remains applicable and efficient.

Iceland stands out as an early adopter, having conducted trials from 2015 to 2019 that showed improved productivity with shorter hours. Public sector workers cut their workweek from 40 to 35-36 hours without a pay reduction. By 2022, over half of the country's workforce had adopted this model, with notable improvements in worker well-being and no negative impact on the economy. In fact, Iceland posted a robust GDP growth of 4.1%.

Denmark already maintains an average workday of 37 hours, although not formally implementing a four-day workweek. Denmark's corporate culture is well-known for appreciating "hygge," a notion of balance and comfort, and it offers ample paid vacation time, up to five weeks under a 2020 law.