Is a 6-hour workday the solution to a more favourable work-life balance?

Since the pandemic forced many people to reevaluate their priorities, the four-day workweek has gained attention as a potential means of enhancing employees' work-life balance and welfare. While many see it as a revolutionary break from the monotony of a Monday through Friday workweek, it has proven to be a major inconvenience for many others.

The four-day workweek has been extensively tested around the world (though not everyone has had the opportunity to try it), and it has even been adopted permanently by numerous companies in several countries after trials revealed that the shorter workweek improved employees' wellbeing and happiness while maintaining the same level of productivity.

However, the four-day workweek proved challenging and even divisive in many organisations. In some businesses, it is simply not possible to work on Fridays, and in those where employees are given a three-day weekend, the time off sometimes follows a long, shortened workweek in which workers have to put in even more effort to make up for the "lost" day.

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Certain organisational psychologists suggest shortening the workday. In addition to being more viable for more types of enterprises, wrapping up in less time—say, six instead of eight hours—could also significantly improve the lives of employees.

However, there are compelling arguments in favour of a shorter workday that are connected to improved employee wellbeing and perhaps higher productivity. Contrary to ingrained conventions, it's possible that workers could be more productive and focused if they left the office earlier.

The fact that nations cannot afford such trials at a time when the economy is in such bad shape is one of the key worries regarding cutting working hours.

The OECD has advised these nations to enhance their productivity in order to hasten the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic as they deal with growing inflation and a cost-of-living issue, despite the favourable economic outlook in countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway, for instance.

Trials to enact novel regulations, such as the six-hour workday, are frequently pricey; in some cases, the expenses are found to outweigh the advantages.

(With inputs from agencies)

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