4-day work week is the newest trend expected to become the next big thing in the corporate world. Though it still isn’t as widely adopted as employees would have wanted, it’s gradually making its way around the world, showing employers what shorter work weeks can do to improve their business. With Belgium leading the way, many companies have adopted the 4-day workweek model in the US, UK, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe. It’s even being tested at the state level in a few places.

A four-day workweek may seem to be putting employers at a loss, but it’s not true. A shorter work week improves job satisfaction, employee happiness, and productivity, all of which eventually benefit the employer. To employees, it leaves more free time and a better work-life balance that research shows can greatly improve their mental health and well-being.

Mental Health Benefits of Four-Day Work Weeks

With it being the latest trend, the four-day workweek model has been widely studied all across the world and has been found to offer great mental health benefits to employees. Here’s how:

Shorter work weeks give employees more free time, allowing them to rest, relax, sleep, go out, have fun, and develop or pursue hobbies. They have more time for catching up with friends and family, exercise, and sleep. All of it helps reduce stress and anxiety and leave you refreshed and more energized for the upcoming work week.

According to the world’s largest experiment on the four-day work week – The UK’s Fur-Day Week Pilot– conducted in the latter half of 2022, the shortened work week could potentially be the ultimate solution for work stress and burnout. The trial that included employees from 61 companies also found that employees who worked four days a week experienced a decrease in their sleep issues. They were also less fatigued. With enough time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate, employees also experienced improved mood.

Improve Productivity and Decrease Employee Burnout with a Four-Day Workweek

Despite having had skepticism attached to it, the four-day workweek has shown a very positive outcome in terms of boosting employees’ health, mental and psychological well-being, and performance at work. In the UK trial, a whopping 71% of employees reported experiencing less burnout. No wonder the majority of workers now demand a shorter work week.

Though the four-day workweek comes with its own set of challenges for both employers and workers (most have to work for more hours to do the same amount of work), the benefits it has been found to offer is worth trying (at least).