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The Rise Of The Four-Day Work Week (Rebroadcast)

A picture taken shows glasses on a laptop at a home office desk in Salzburg, Austria.
A picture taken shows glasses on a laptop at a home office desk in Salzburg, Austria.

In early 2021, the CEO of the crowdfunding website Kickstarter, Aziz Hasan, announced that the company will be piloting a four-day work week in 2022. The schedule consists of 32 working hours per week rather than 40.

He explained his reasoning in Fast Company:

This decision stems from my belief that everyone who works for Kickstarter should have the ability to help propel the company forward while also pursuing their own creative projects, spending time with loved ones, and engaging with communities and causes that are important to them. I believe that by finding harmony between work and home, our team will make as much—if not more—meaningful progress toward our mission.

Meanwhile in Iceland, a study found that reducing an employee’s work hours did not reduce productivity. The multi-year trial included thousands of workers.

Though Kickstarter made headlines, a growing number of companies have already successfully moved to a four-day week, like the software company Wildbit. The pandemic has accelerated the movement.

But is a four-day work week possible for every type of workplace? And what would it take for the idea to really catch on?

 

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Avery Kleinman