Editor's note

Who wouldn’t want to work four days for five days’ pay? It seems a risky project for a business to undertake, but a New Zealand company’s trial of a four-day working week has paid off for both employees and their bosses. Staff were offered a day off each week, at their usual five-day pay, if they could do the same work in four days.

As Jarrod Haar writes, the trial confirms a link between employees’ sense of being valued and supported and their commitment to the job. The results show that the main benefit for employees was a much better work-life balance, which in turn boosted their performance at work.

Veronika Meduna

New Zealand Editor

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A four-day week trial showed that if workers have more control over their job, they feel and perform better. from www.shutterstock.com

Working four-day weeks for five days' pay? Research shows it pays off

Jarrod Haar, Auckland University of Technology

A trial of a four-day working week shows that employees felt better about their job, were more engaged, and reported greater work-life balance and less stress.

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