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A new Boston College study finds that a four‑day workweek with no pay cut improves employees' physical and mental health as well as job performance and satisfaction. Researchers Wen Fan and Juliet Schor tracked 2,896 workers across 141 organizations worldwide for six months, comparing those with shorter workweeks to employees at 12 firms that kept a five‑day schedule.

The biggest benefits came when weekly hours dropped by eight or more, reducing burnout, fatigue, and stress while improving sleep and overall well‑being. Smaller reductions also showed gains. Participants came from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the U.K., and the study followed earlier trials like the U.K.'s 2022 experiment, which found no productivity loss and, in many cases, slight increases.

Researchers noted limits, including voluntary participation and a focus on smaller English‑speaking firms. They urge randomized, government‑backed trials to test four‑day models more broadly as companies rethink work norms in a post‑pandemic era.