What's never clear in these sorts of articles is if there was any reduction in salaries, or increase in working hours. Like are people going from working 40 hours a week to 32 with no change to their paycheck? Or are they getting paid 20% less? Or are they still working 40 hours, just over 4 days instead of 5?
The 4 day work week is based on the idea that people are more productive with less time to goof off. Work 32 hours for the same pay and you should see the same or better outcomes. So likely the case is yes
I know that's the idea, but I can't imagine a lot of companies being eager to effectively pay their employees the same for 20% "less work". I know it's a good idea, I just have no confidence in companies. Just look how many of them forced people back to offices during the pandemic despite the safety, cost, and productivity benefits of working from home.
I believe I read elsewhere that pay and everything else stayed the same which was the point of the trial. The businesses didn't expect to like it but were so impressed with the results that they went ahead and kept it. It was an unqualified win for all parties.
AFAICT it really is as good as it sounds like, no gotchas.
I agree, but that is true for working remotely as well, and look how few companies still offer that now. Most companies don't like to make changes that make their employees lives better, even if there is no downside.
I'm just guessing based on what I've seen elsewhere, but I think it's fewer hours with same pay. I don't think the pay could be less or people wouldn't want to stay with the company, as mentioned in the article.
My employer was not part of this trial but has been doing this since Spring 2022. There's been no increase in hours/workday or decrease in salary (and in fact, I got a raise---I think most people got at least a COLA).
We ran our own trial and the results are honestly even more positive than I would've thought myself.
Exactly, which makes me wonder what the article is pushing. It could just be bad journalism but theses days anything like that has some agenda it seems. Two weeks from now we will see an article declaring Canadians as lazy because we don't want to work 5 days a week. This is all hyperbolically of course, but truth is stranger than fiction these days.