More Countries Are Trying Out , Shorter Workweeks , for Overworked Employees.
'Newsweek' reports that Belgium has become
the latest country to offer workers the right
to a four-day workweek without loss of salary. .
According to a report by 'Bloomberg,' the move is intended, "to make Belgium's notoriously
rigid labor market more flexible.".
However, the same 'Bloomberg' report also
points out that employers are not required to
offer workers the option for a shorter workweek. .
The goal is to give people and companies
more freedom to arrange their work time, Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister
of Belgium, via 'Bloomberg'.
In July of 2021, CNBC reported that
85% of workers in Iceland were currently
working a four-day week, or would be soon. .
In many contemporary economies, there's
a growing sense that people are overworked.
In the U.K., for example, we know that 25%
of all workplace absences or sick days can
be traced back to stress generated by work, Jack Kellam, Researcher at Autonomy, via CNBC.
CNBC reports shorter workweeks have been
tested in Sweden, Spain and Japan. .
According to 'Newsweek,' pilot programs
to test shortened work schedules are set to
begin in the U.K., Ireland and the United States. .
Similar plans are also reportedly in the works
in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. .
According to a March 2020 Gallup poll, people who
work just four days a week report benefits that include , "significantly higher levels of well-being and
less likely to feel chronically burned out.".
According to a March 2020 Gallup poll, people who
work just four days a week report benefits that include , "significantly higher levels of well-being and
less likely to feel chronically burned out."