Business professor says Canadians could benefit from four-day workweek

Some countries have implemented a four-day work week, and a professor from Queen’s University says Canadian employees and employers would also benefit.

Tina Dacin, a business professor at the Smith School of Business says with the pandemic forcing many people to work from home, a four-day workweek could relieve a lot of stress and make for a better work-life balance.

“I think a lot of employees across Canada are realizing the importance of time, and not just quality, but also that time is precious. So, a four-day workweek allows people to have that extra day.”

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, there has been a significant deterioration in mental health over the course of the pandemic, and Dacin says the lack of separation between the office and home may play a major role in that.

“It used to be that we wanted to always separate work and personal life and people used to run courses about finding balance, but now with the pandemic and people working at home it’s almost like your personal life is being integrated with your work life and that’s quite stressful for a lot of folks.”

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So far, Japan, New Zealand, Ireland, and a few others have made the shift to a four-day workweek, but Dacin says the key is not to compress five days worth of work but rather lower the workload and hours altogether.

“Folks in Finland, for example, have been trying out a four-day work week but also six-hour workdays and I think that’s super interesting. There’s less stress.”

Dacin says aside from less stress on employees, employers also benefit from having less-stressed, loyal employees.

“A study in New Zealand showed us that there was almost 50 per cent less stress experienced by employees in the organization. There’s going to be greater employee loyalty towards the organization, and I think that’s a huge benefit. I think loyalty is this thing that you can’t just go out and purchase from your employees, loyalty is really like gold for the employer.”

However, Dacin says the change would still bring challenges of maintaining pay and work expectations.

“Employers are going to have to weigh reducing work, but keeping pay the same. So, organizations are going to have to carefully navigate expectations for work, and also the logistics of rollout for example, do you shut down on that fifth day?”

Despite the challenges that come with changing the work system, Dacin says the benefits that come from a reduced workweek are undeniable.