rESEARCH
The four-day week: The pandemic and the evolution of flexible working
Following on from the 2019 ‘Four Better or Four Worse’ White Paper, this report examines whether opinions towards the four-day working week have changed because of the pandemic. Is a four-day working week still preferable to other forms of flexible work? What are the benefits and what are the costs of the four-day working week? Could flexible working be a solution to the ‘Great Resignation’?
REPORT by the Henley Business School - March 2022
A Future Fit for Wales: a shorter working week for all
Wales is beset with a number of economic and social problems pertaining to health, income, the social security system and the labour market. This report explores how a reduced working week could impact and improve working life in Wales.
REPORT by Autonomy - February 2022
Overtime: Why We Need A Shorter Working Week
As precarity and low pay become further embedded in the job market, at a time when work-related stress and exhaustion are endemic, it is clear that a new, radical approach to employment is required: the shorter working week.
BOOK by Will Stronge and Kyle Lewis - September 2021
Going Public: Iceland's Journey to a Shorter Working Week
From 2015-2019, Iceland ran two large-scale trials of a reduced working week of 35-36 hours with no reduction in pay. This is an analysis of the results.
REPORT by Autonomy and Iceland's Association for Sustainability and Democracy (Alda) - July 2021
The Day After Tomorrow: stress tests, affordability and the roadmap to the four day week
The study utilises profitability statistics on over 50,000 leading UK businesses for the first time to see whether firms could afford to switch to a four-day (32 hour) working week.
REPORT by Autonomy - December 2020
The Case for a Four Day Week
Not so long ago, people thought that a ten-hour, six-day week was normal; now, it’s the eight-hour, five-day week. Will that soon be history too? Three leading experts argue why it should be and map out a pragmatic pathway to a shorter working week that safeguards earnings for the lower-paid and keeps the economy flourishing.
BOOK by Anna Coote, Aidan Harper and Alfie Stirling - November 2020
Burnout Britain: Overwork in an Age of Unemployment
A report on the impact of Covid-19 on overwork, mental health and burnout. The report found that since the start of the pandemic, mental health has deteriorated further. In contrast to common narratives, this is because many are people working longer hours as a result of crisis, not shorter.
REPORT by the 4 Day Week Campaign, Compass and Autonomy - October 2020
Public Sector as Pioneer: shorter working weeks as the new gold standard
A shorter working week in the public sector (with no loss in pay) is badly needed: burn out, work-related poor mental health and bad work-life balance plague public sector staff across organisations. It could create between 300,000 and 500,000 new jobs and pioneer a new standard for all employment in the UK.
REPORT by Autonomy - August 2020
Shorter: how working less will revolutionise the way your company gets things done
Forget the old concept of the 9-5. In a changing world, companies around the globe are redesigning the working week to increase efficiency, health, productivity and happiness in their employees. Now you can do the same.
BOOK by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang - March 2020