Latest news with #PaulaO'Kane
Scoop
22-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Global Study Finds 4-Day Work Week Linked To Improved Wellbeing
A four-day work week is linked to improved employee wellbeing and job satisfaction, according to trials in over 140 organisations across six countries including New Zealand. A US and Irish research team ran six-month trials involving almost 3000 employees at 141 organisations, reducing their hours to four days a week without a pay reduction. Compared with employees at 12 companies that didn't shorten their work weeks, the workers reported improvements in burnout, job satisfaction, and physical and mental health. The researchers say the improvements were mostly driven by the workers reporting fewer sleep problems, less fatigue, and greater work ability. The Science Media Centre asked third-party experts to comment. Dr Dougal Sutherland, Principal Psychologist, Umbrella Wellbeing, comments: 'Findings from research over the last decade have been generally positive about the effectiveness of a four-day work week at full pay for employee wellbeing and company performance. However, much of the published research has been limited by difficult data collection conditions, lacking controls and longitudinal data. 'This study sets a new standard, finding across a large sample that employee wellbeing improved over a six-month trial period when work hours were reduced, explained in part by increases in people's perceived productivity, sleep and energy. One important factor contributing to the trial's success, no doubt, was that participating organisations were coached in the weeks before the trial to find smarter ways of working for staff, streamlining processes, and reducing unnecessary meetings or tasks. Reducing work hours without any supporting workplace scaffolds is unlikely to produce the same results. 'As organisations continue to look for innovative ways to improve wellbeing, this study offers a strong business case for businesses to work smarter, rather than longer, to keep workers and their work output strong.' Conflict of interest statement: Umbrella Wellbeing provides workplace wellbeing services to organisations. Associate Professor Paula O'Kane, Otago Business School, University of Otago, comments: 'It's great to see growing evidence that reductions in working hours can significantly impact well-being, reduce burnout and improve job satisfaction. 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. The four-day week model in this study enhanced work ability, reduced sleep problems, and decreased fatigue—all of which contributed to the positive outcomes. While the study centred on a four-day week, the broader implication is clear: flexible and potentially individualised working arrangements can deliver similar benefits. 'Interestingly, many organisations who participated in the trial were not-for-profits, who often offer flexibility in lieu of higher salaries, perhaps the for-profit sector can learn from them. Although self-report measures have limitations, the study effectively addressed many of these. It was also insightful to examine both average company-wide reductions and individual-level changes in working hours.'
Otago Daily Times
21-07-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Four-day week means happier workers: study
By Krystal Gibbens of RNZ Working a four-day week reduces burnout and improves job satisfaction, a large-scale new study has found. The research from 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 New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the US. Outcomes of the trials were then compared with 12 control companies that did not transition to the shorter work week. 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. Associate Professor Paula O'Kane, from the University of Otago'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." 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. "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. The traditional 9am to 5pm shift did not work for everyone, she said, and there was a growing body of evidence that non-traditional models of working were in fact working better for people. 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. We can see it already - they're not going to accept the traditional structures." Organisations would have to start thinking about organising work structures differently if they wanted to keep attracting top talent in the future, she believed. Dr Dougal Sutherland, principal psychologist at Umbrella Wellbeing, told RNZ's Morning Report programme many studies in this area had shown productivity remained the same or even increased when dropping down to 32 hours of work a week over four days. He said it also had positive effects on people's overall well-being. "Four-day weeks force businesses to look at productivity to use worker time more efficiently." The research is published in the Nature Human Behaviour journal.
