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What we can learn from the success of the shorter work week in Iceland

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We heard a great deal of talks about mental health, work-life balance and authenticity during the past year, and the push to remote work is certain to leave a long-lasting mark in the workforce – creative industry or otherwise.

What was once conceived as a luxury for few is now the normality, with many employers moving to hybrid options (some days at home, some in the office) or full remote altogether. Personally I feel like the hybrid option is the best of both worlds: it helps introverts with social anxiety and the extroverts with their need to socialise. It caters for parents and single workers alike. But now, as the news of Iceland successfully testing the 4-day work week break free, there is a whole new option at the horizon.

Why was the ‘4-day work week’ such a huge success?

According to the BBC, only about 1% of the Iceland workforce was enlisted in the trials from 2015 to 2019, with the aim to introduce a 4-day work week. It appears that productivity increased or remained largely the same, and now over 86% of the Iceland workforce is planning to either adopt the new approach or soon gain the right to.

It should be noted, however, that despite headlines and reports, Iceland’s was not a proper ‘4-day work week’.It was a reduction of hours at best, with the same salary, which occasionally prompted Iceland to hire more healthcare/public service workers. Still, if that meant more opportunities and jobs for everyone, I say that’s pretty good.

Many workers moved from a 40+ hour week to a 35 or 36 hour week. They reported feeling less stressed and at risk of burnout, and confirmed their work-life balance had improved. It may not seem like much, but if you pile up all the hours you spend at work in a day, you could easily use that time to do household chores, dedicate to your hobbies or spend more time with your family. The Iceland trial was in the public sector rather than the advertising industry, but it still showed how a sector with its own bureaucracy and deadlines can easily cope with one less day of work overall. Especially since productivity improved.

It makes sense. When people have more time to dedicate to themselves and their hobbies, their mental health will greatly improve and they will be able to remain more focused on the job. However, there is also a possibility that the workers taking part in this trial were fully aware of being tested at all times, and this led to them being driven to meet expectations at all costs, with increased productivity over the trial period.

This is not entirely new, however. Just like remote work, it isn’t necessarily true that the ‘4-day work week’ (or reduced working hours) could work for everyone. Some jobs, especially if based on shifts, can hardly be completed as efficiently in less time – and in some cases, especially in the advertising industry, there may be workload pressures that increase as soon as a worker moves to having their Fridays off.

But weren’t we thinking the same about remote work?

With the amount of creative input, activities and opportunities at our reach in the current digital world, there is no reason why we should remain locked at the post-war figure of 40 hours a week for the rest of our existence. If these trials work and are especially helpful to workers around the world, so be it. We as individuals can only benefit from it.

What about the rest of the world?

Iceland was not the only country wanting to experiment with reduced work hours, though given the large focus of Scandinavian countries on mental health, it was at least expected to start from there.

Right now, it appears that Japan and New Zealand are also conducting their trials and experiments, and a recent report by the Autonomy think tank has identified at least a good dozen of organisations running their own experiments. PR, media and creative agencies are part of that roster, showing that even in an industry as fast-paced as ours it is possible to be just as productive with a much shorter work week.

According to the report, the time workers in a range of countries around the world spend doing their job has started to vary significantly from one country to another. UK and USA already have different standards, but this is even more evident when comparing them to France and Germany. In particular, UK productivity is 26.7% below the one of Germany, where full-time employers work an average of 1.8 hours a week less than UK workers.

Will the 4-day work week come to my country?

As is evident, there are strong arguments in favour of a shorter work week, and the Iceland experiment is just the last in a long series of trials. A shorter week, not necessarily a 4-day one, is possible and perhaps even beneficial. It will take some adjusting to the new ways, but it is likely to happen at some point down the line.

Contrary to remote work, however, we can only expect it to be applied and adopted over a long period of time. It could be at least another decade before the true effects of a shorter work week are perceived, and right now we are all increasingly focused on finding our own balance whilst working from home, or adapting to a hybrid model. Once this new normal deflates, we can expect talks for a shorter work week to resume – though it may be a while before they come into effect.

One thing is certain: the UK public is not averse to yet another change in the workforce. An online survey released by Survation at the end of June shows the majority of the British public (about two-thirds) would want the UK to trial a four-day working week. Whether that will happen with the current government, I’m not sure – but I would certainly love to see it.

Especially in an industry such as the advertising one, with tight deadlines, pitches and overtime, finding a new balance can help creative professionals embrace new mindsets at work, eventually leading to increased productivity or mental health. Ultimately, a shorter work week will mean more time for us to spend with ourselves and the ones we love. More time for our hobbies, our personal development, our own peace of mind and wellbeing. Overtime that hopefully bleeds into a Friday at best and does not drain us of all our energies for the weekend.

And that is priceless in any industry, regardless of your specialism.


Header image: David Cerqueiro for Energy Upgrade California
 

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