Panchali Dey, TIMESOFINDIA.COM, TRAVEL TRENDS, WORLD Created : Feb 18, 2022, 11:30 IST
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01
Belgium
Belgium is the latest country to not only introduce a 4-day workweek, but also gives employees the right to ignore work-related messages and turn off work devices after work hours.
Referring to this, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, while addressing a press conference, stated, "We have experienced two difficult years. With this agreement, we set a beacon for an economy that is more innovative, sustainable and digital. The aim is to be able to make people and businesses stronger.”
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02
New Zealand
The idea of a 4-day week received a major boost from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who believed that it would not only improve work-life balance, but also boost the country's economy in view of COVID pandemic. In May 2020, Ardern in a Facebook live video shared the said idea while discussing ways to revive domestic tourism in the country. She added that long weekends will allow people to visit local spots, which will increase domestic travel, thereby compensating the lack of foreign travels.
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03
Japan
With the aim of improving the work-life balance of its citizens, Japan asked companies to initiate a 4-day workweek as part of the government initiative program. As per the reports, the government instructed companies to offer their workforce a choice to shift to a four-day work week instead of the typical five days. Referring to this, Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga stated that this initiative will help companies retain experienced staff, while ensuring their well-being too.
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04
Ireland
The Ireland government introduced a trial program to check the effectiveness of a four-day working week. For this initiative, the government reportedly announced a €150000 research fund. As per the Minister for Environment Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan, this transition to 4-day workweek will not only help in reducing carbon emissions and improve air quality, but will also benefit people from getting an extra day off.
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05
Scotland
The Scottish National Party (SNP) announced the launch of a trial four-day workweek. And, if reports are to go by, 80% of the people responded to the idea, and were highly motivated with the initiative. Reportedly, this has helped people to maintain a healthy work-life balance, by getting more time off for themselves.
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06
United Arab Emirates
The UAE slashed its official working week to four-and-a-half days in early December 2021, and transitioned from the five-day work week. As per the reports, the new change came into effect from January 1, 2022. Referring to this, the UAE Government Media Office informed that the new change has been implemented to improve work-life balance and productivity.
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07
Spain
As per the reports, Spain also announced an experiment with a trial 4-day workweek. Now, as per the Spanish Government rules, employees are required to complete a 32-hour workweek over three years, while giving its nod to no cut in workers' compensation. Reportedly, the pilot program is being conducted with an investment of around $60 million.
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08
Iceland
Iceland introduced a four-year trial in October 2021 to experiment with the four-day work week. As per the reports, around 2500 workers are involved in this program and are indulged in a wide array of workplaces, such as offices, hospitals, and preschools. If results are to go by, productivity improved in a majority of settings. Plus, this allows people to go for a quick 3-day weekend trip and rejuvenate.
