Four-day work week reduces burnout and improves job satisfaction
Photo:
Dave Bull
Working a four day week reduces burnout and improves job satisfaction, a new study has found.
The research out of Boston College in the United States tested the effect of reducing employees hours to a four-day week with no reduction in pay.
The study held six-month trials reducing the working hours for 2896 employees across 141 organisations in Australia, Canada,
New Zealand
, the UK, Ireland and the USA.
The outcomes of the trials were then compared with 12 control companies that did not transition to the shorter work week.
The researchers found that employees with a reduction of eight hours or more per work week self-reported experiencing larger reductions in burnout and improvements in job satisfaction and mental health, as compared with those at companies that maintained a five-day work week.
A small change in physical health was also seen, but the researchers said they expected this was less significant because changes in physical health take time to manifest.
Paula O'Kane, from Otago University's business school, said it was good to see growing evidence that reductions in working hours could significantly impact well-being, reduce burnout and improve job satisfaction.
"While the study centred on a four-day week, the broader implication is clear: flexible and potentially individualised working arrangements can deliver similar benefits," she said.
O'Kane said research globally was showing that work structures needed a rethink.
"Traditionally, time spent working is used as a proxy for productivity, when in fact better rested and healthier people can be more productive in less time," she said.
"Moving forward it would be really good to think about output based measures of production and productivity - making sure that we understand what it is we want our employees to do in a week rather than how much time we want them to spend at work," O'Kane said.
She said the traditional 9-5 did not work for everyone and there was a growing body of evidence that non-traditional models of working were in fact working better for people.
She said it was also already clear that the younger generation would be demanding more flexibility.
"If we look at the students that are coming through university and looking at how they operate their lives, they are going to want flexibility," she said. "We can see it already, they're not going to accept the traditional structures."
She said organisations would have to start thinking about organising work structures differently if they wanted to keep attracting top talent in the future.
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"It is clear that an awful error has occurred, and as the regulator for pharmacists, we are working on understanding every detail of what happened, what went wrong, how it went wrong, and who was involved. The Pharmacy Council is working promptly to take any immediate steps required to ensure public safety. "Our enquiry and investigation processes are currently underway and, until these are complete, we cannot provide any further details. At the end of the process, we will make any recommended changes to ensure as best as possible an event like this does not happen again." The Pharmacy Council operated within a wider framework of organisations responsible for the protection of public health and safety, Pead said. "We have also referred the incident to other relevant organisations to ensure they can act on any matters that may fall into their remit. "We would emphasise that situations of this nature are extremely rare. 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It is recommended that a second self-check should be carried out, taking a few moments between the prescriptions to 'reset' and performing the final check with care." Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health released a joint statement to RNZ, extending their "heartfelt condolences" to Bellamere's family. "Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health take very seriously incidents like these, which while rare, are always thoroughly investigated to identify any lessons that can be learned. "Both agencies involved are acting urgently in undertaking a joint review into this incident, exploring all aspects of the care provided." Health New Zealand is undertaking a serious incident review and the Ministry of Health will be looking at actions taken by health services in the community. "This will occur alongside providing any information requested by the coroner." On Friday, a Ministry of Health spokesperson told RNZ that Medsafe had visited the pharmacy where the medicine was dispensed and completed an initial assessment that the pharmacy was safe to continue operating. "That initial assessment is part of a rapid audit and site visit of the pharmacy which is being carried out by Medsafe, aimed to provide additional assurance that the pharmacy is meeting expected standards." The actions taken by Medsafe and the Pharmacy Council would help inform the ongoing review, the spokesperson said. "These measures are occurring alongside providing any information requested by the coroner." Health Minister Simeon Brown said in a statement to RNZ he was "heartbroken" for Bellamere's family who had "inexplicably lost their baby in tragic circumstances". "My thoughts are with them at this incredibly difficult time. "I am advised that the Pharmacy Council has taken immediate action and is investigating this incident. The council has also advised other appropriate regulators."
