Imagine breaking free from the relentless rhythm of five days of work followed by a fleeting weekend. What if we could reclaim an extra day every week, not for more meetings, but for ourselves, our families, and our health?
That question lies at the heart of a landmark study published in Nature Human Behaviour, which revealed that shifting to a four-day workweek dramatically improves well-being. Conducted by researchers at Boston College, the study measured burnout, job satisfaction, physical health, and mental health.
The results were unambiguous. “We saw a huge improvement in employee well-being,” explained lead researcher Wen Fan. Companies didn’t just maintain productivity, they often reported increases in revenue. Today, nine out of ten participants in the study continue to work just four days a week.
This finding builds on a growing body of evidence suggesting that shorter workweeks boost health, balance, and happiness. Yet the question persists: if the benefits are clear, why haven’t more societies embraced it?
The Culture of Overwork
In many countries, overwork isn’t just common, it’s celebrated.
China’s notorious “996” work culture, where employees labor from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week, has become an emblem of ambition and sacrifice. India’s surging tech and finance sectors demand long, irregular hours to meet global expectations. In the United States and United Kingdom, working late nights and weekends is often worn as a badge of honor.
Japan offers perhaps the starkest example, with a cultural word for death from overwork: karoshi. Hiroshi Ohno, an expert on Japanese workplace norms, explains, “Work here is not just a job, it’s a social obligation. People arrive early, stay late, even if their tasks are finished. It’s about appearances, about showing commitment, almost like martial arts, there’s a ritual to it.”
This collectivist ethos makes change difficult. If one employee takes Fridays off, colleagues see it as a lack of dedication. Even legally guaranteed benefits like paternity leave are underused; Japanese men may be entitled to a year off, but most avoid it to spare colleagues the extra workload.
Yet Professor Wen Fan believes global experiments are slowly reshaping this culture. “These pilots are shifting perceptions, even in places where overwork is deeply ingrained,” she notes.
Global Experiments in Shorter Work
The evidence is spreading. In Iceland, around 90 percent of workers now enjoy shorter hours or the legal right to reduce them. Experiments are underway in South Africa, Brazil, Spain, France, Botswana, and the Dominican Republic.
Governments, too, are beginning to test the model. Earlier this year, Tokyo introduced a four-day week pilot for government staff. Dubai launched a summer program with shorter workweeks for civil servants. And starting October 2025, 67 South Korean companies will trial a 4.5-day schedule.
Karen Low, CEO of 4 Day Week Global, has been helping businesses across continents from Namibia to Germany—test the model. She cites one striking case: a police department in Golden, Colorado. Since moving to a four-day week, overtime costs fell by 80 percent and resignations halved.
“If it works for a police force responding to emergencies, it can work anywhere,” she insists.
When her organization began in 2019, interest was minimal. Today, thousands of companies are asking to join.
Myths and Misconceptions
One major obstacle is perception. Many leaders equate fewer hours with lower productivity. Yet evidence suggests the opposite.
In 2019, Microsoft Japan experimented with a four-day week. Sales per employee surged 40 percent. Still, the company didn’t adopt the change permanently, citing complexity in managing its global divisions.
Professor Fan’s study found that productivity held steady largely because inefficiencies were eliminated. Low-value activities—like unnecessary meetings and endless email chains were cut. Companies discovered that real productivity came from prioritization, not longer hours.
Another misconception is that employees are forced to cram five days of work into four. In practice, it’s about smarter design. “It’s not about squeezing. It’s about cutting waste,” says Low. With artificial intelligence now handling routine tasks, opportunities to streamline are greater than ever.
A Lifeline for Mental Health
For some organizations, the change has been transformative.
Charles Davids, director of the Counselling Centre at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, oversees a team supporting more than 30,000 students. Before adopting a four-day week, his staff were collapsing under the weight of trauma, overwork, and limited resources.
“They weren’t bored—they were drained,” Davids recalls. “They had no energy left.”
Despite skepticism from leadership and even his own staff, he piloted the model. Within six months, sick days plummeted from 51 to just 4. Staff slept better, exercised more, and reconnected with their families. Only one person used the extra day to earn more money.
The result was not just happier employees but better care for students. “They became more attentive and compassionate. It changed everything,” Davids says.
Can It Work Everywhere?
Experts caution that a universal solution is unrealistic.
“The industrial structure of a country matters,” says Professor Fan. In Africa, where large numbers of workers are employed in agriculture, mining, or informal labor, work flexibility is harder to implement.
Low-skilled, manual jobs are often resistant to restructuring. Employers focused on maximizing profits see little incentive to experiment. Still, some progress exists: Fan’s study included construction, hospitality, and manufacturing companies, several of which reported success.
“It’s not a panacea,” she warns. “But it’s a powerful tool when used thoughtfully.”
A Generational Shift
What may ultimately drive the change is not legislation but generational values.
A 2025 global survey revealed that for the first time work-life balance ranked higher than pay as the top priority for younger workers. In South Korea, many say they’d accept lower wages for fewer hours.
“We’re seeing growing resistance among the young,” says Fan. “They’re redefining the meaning of work and life.”
Trends such as “mass resignations,” “quiet quitting,” and resistance to overwork in China show that younger workers are pushing back against outdated norms.
Even Japan is changing. Thirty percent of men now take paternity leave once virtually unheard of. “It shows priorities are shifting,” notes Hiroshi Ohno.
Karen Low sees momentum building. “Covid was the first turning point. The next could be the four-day week.”
The Future of Work
The evidence is overwhelming: shorter workweeks can improve health, reduce stress, cut costs, and even boost productivity. And yet, cultural inertia and corporate hesitation remain strong barriers.
But as generations shift and experiments multiply, the once-radical idea of a four-day workweek is edging closer to reality. What was once a dream may soon become a global standard.
Because the real question is no longer whether it works. The question is how long we’re willing to wait before embracing it.
