The trials for four-day work in Iceland are characterized by “unthinkable success”, leading employers and employees to adopt flexible forms of work and shorter working hours.
The tests of the so-called “Iceland experiment” lasted between 2015-2019 and those who took part were paid normally, but worked fewer hours…
Iceland’s “experiment”: What the 4-day work tests have shown
Productivity remained at the same level or even improved for the majority of workplaces that took part in the experiment, according to the survey results.
Similar experiments are now being conducted in other parts of the world, among them Spain and New Zealand.
In Iceland, the trials were managed by the Reykjavik city council, in cooperation with the government, and included more than 2,500 employees (about 1% of the country’s workforce).
Most went from 40 hours a week to 35 or 36 hours, according to Association for Sustainable Democracy (Alda) of Iceland.
The experiment led the unions to renegotiate the contracts and now 86% of the country’s workforce work fewer hours (for the same wage) or will be given the right to do so immediately.
The shortest schedule worked beneficially for employees, lower levels of work stress and exhaustion were recorded.
Alda researcher Gudmundur Haraldsson said: “The Icelandic trip for a shorter working week tells us that not only is it possible to work less in modern times, but that this change is also possible.”
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