Working less has made people happier, more engaged and satisfied thanks to a better balance between their career and personal life
He works from Monday to Thursday, without increasing working hours and receiving the same salary. Who wouldn’t want that? Here in Brazil, a country that has the most anxious population in the world (and with obvious factors related to the world of work, since it takes up most of our time), imagining a shorter working day seems like an impossible dream.
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It could be: around and even at home we see the precariousness of many professions, which struggle to tolerate increasingly long and stressful working hours, with flattened wages and rights. Furthermore, the frenetic use of mobile phones, instant messaging and the practice of working from home have blurred the lines between work and personal life, making many people feel pressured to respond to requests at any time.
Exhausting work routine and impact on mental health
We know this is unhealthy. Many studies reveal that workers’ health is in fact compromised by so much wear and tear. Data published in 2022 by the World Health Organization estimates that lost working days are due to health-related ailments mental health They cost the global economy nearly $1 trillion a year.
In Brazil alone, more than 209,000 people were fired due to unrest of this kind last year, not counting the mass of informal workers who suffer without state assistance. The time has come to reflect: after all, is it possible to work less? How can we improve our relationship with this field, so that it does not stifle rest, creativity, free time and personal life?
“Several studies show that we are not doing well in terms of mental health or productivity. According to this year’s report by [consultoria] Gallup, only 23% of people are engaged at work, generating a cost of $8.8 trillion. We need to redesign the working day so that it can be healthier, but also so that we can work better”, says company administrator Renata Rivetti, specialist in corporate happiness and founder of the consultancy firm Reconnect Hapiness at Work.
Good for the worker
It is with this in mind that, in 2018, the New Zealander Andrew Barnes proposed to the employees of his company, Perpetual Guardian, a test in which they would have to try to be more productive in exchange for one less day. Work.
The experience was so successful that she created, in collaboration with Charlotte Lockhart, 4 Day Week, an entity that promotes pilot projects for weekly four-day trips in several countries, such as Iceland, Belgium, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Emirates United Arab Emirates, Sweden and Spain, with incredible results for workers, companies and even the planet.
For starters, the numbers reveal that 55% of employees with four-day workweeks feel more productive, 78% are less stressed and happier, and 57% are less likely to quit their jobs.
“Small technology companies, for example, are finding that fit is an important differentiator when thinking about attracting and retaining talent. No one wants to leave an organization that offers this benefit,” says Renata.
And what did people do on this extra day off? In general, they use take care of your health (go to the doctor, dentist, therapy or exercise), but also to spend time with children or invest in recreational activities.
Good for businesses
For companies, the benefits are no less interesting: their performance has improved, with an average increase in revenue of 35%. Not surprisingly, 100% of participants chose to continue reduced working hours after the trial period.
There is also a curious effect in relation to gender equality. “We have seen heterosexual men have an extra day to take care of household chores, fatherhood, which is an advantage for society in general, because it brings more justice even gender”, he celebrates.
And look: the planet wins too. Research conducted in collaboration with Boston College shows that workers’ commute time decreases by an average of half an hour per person per week, meaning a reduction in businesses’ carbon footprint. Imagine the effects of this happening in an amplified way, in times of climate collapse…
Focus on productivity
The great idea of the project is to bring to light hidden themes in the daily life of companies that still romanticize excessive work as if it were synonymous with professional success. “Today we are a tired society that doesn’t even produce much, because of this culture non stop It’s bad for individuals and also for companies themselves. It is necessary to discuss a cultural change capable of building a new way of working”, says Renata Rivetti, who represents 4Day Week in Brazil.
Did you know that we are actually productive two or three hours a day? The fact is that, during the working day, we are hit by countless distractions: on average, one every 11 minutes. Included in the checklist means of social communicationreading the news, coffee, breaks to smoke or prepare food, instant messages, calls to friends and family, and even time invested in looking for a new job.
“The focus, then, is to work on reducing distractions and improving the quality of meetings, opting for shorter meetings, with documents sent and analyzed in advance and with fewer participants, without the need to invite all sector employees”, consider the specialist.
It’s the small changes individually, in the team and in companies as a whole, that make a big difference. “Realize that there is a methodology, it’s not just eliminating Friday, which tends to be a less productive day,” she emphasizes.
It’s Brazil’s turn
Here many companies have shown interest in experimenting with shorter weekly hours. Proof of this is that when Reconnect Happiness at Work opened online registration in the country to interested parties, more than 400 organizations registered in the first 48 hours. The registration phase took place in August for those who will actually participate in the unprecedented Brazilian experiment.
Training begins in September, with lessons on mental health, productivity and redesign of the working day, as well as collecting data that will serve as a comparative basis. Finally, participants will begin implementing the shortened week in November. “There will be six months of testing, with monitoring and important metrics for a final evaluation, understanding the daily life of every company, from small to multinational”, explains Renata.
While the proposal applies more easily to intellectual work, he says factories are also realizing that reducing working hours also reduces workplace absences and injuries. And even hiring more people for shift work pays off in the end. The same goes for schools, nurseries and even hospitals.
Challenges to face
But are we prepared for this change? Psychologist Bruno Chapadeiro, professor at the Federal Fluminense University and researcher of mental health at work, is enthusiastic about the idea, but urges caution and caution.
“Of course it’s nice to have more free time, to be more rested and, consequently, also improve productivity. The question is whether people who are already overworked will have to do five days of work out of four, as this would increase the load and even exhaustion, which could worsen already established mental disorders, “he reflects.
Chaadeiro also questions whether the benefit could be extended to a wider range of workers. “We are heading towards a precarious nature of work, with millions of people working informally or working as pajamas [pessoa jurídica]like MEI, with fixed-term contracts, etc., which makes me believe that it won’t work for them, who work on projects or deliveries and are left to their own devices”, he evaluates.
More than necessary reflection
The fact is that the expansion of the four-day workday is a global trend. In Portugal, for example, the Ministry of Labor itself coordinates the experiments in parallel with the 4-Day Week. However, until it is realized here, it is up to us to reflect on our relationship with work.
“We might ask ourselves whether we want to be productive all the time, listening to podcasts while we do the dishes or respond to messages Whatsapp in traffic, leaving no room for creativity and rest”, he says. Change begins within us and it is in balance – we see – that the revolution lives.
Edited by Giuliana Capello – Vida Simples magazine
He is a freelance journalist and, after years of managing his time, he has exchanged guilt for the pleasure of going to the cinema on a Friday afternoon.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
