Just a couple weeks ago, we shared a story coming out of New Zealand after prime minister Jacinda Ardern had suggested shifting the country to a four-day working week after the pandemic. The idea was that it would help employees address persistent work/life balance issues, while encouraging more domestic tourism within New Zealand.
It’s an idea that seems to be gaining traction. Just this week, members of the Parliament of Singapore suggested a move away from “the traditional five-day work week to a four-day work week with the option of working from home on the fifth day.”
Speaking at a debate, Nominated MP Mohamed Irshad highlighted that the pandemic has forced Singaporeans to adapt to new working arrangements within a very short period of time. As Singapore prepares for phase two of its reopening, it should not return to its old ways of working, but instead, build on the progress. He said that established firms like Microsoft have shown that a four-day work week can increase productivity by up to 40 percent, something we wrote about last November.
With now two countries in the span of a month openly considering a four-day work week, we expect this idea will only grow in popularity over the coming year as governments restart life the pandemic.
