The case for a four-day workweek

Good for productivity, efficiency

Calling all politicians who need a quick boost in the polls: have you considered giving Canadians a four-day workweek? Erin O'Toole, I'm looking at you.

No, I haven't confused you with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. No, I'm not high on hallucinogens. I'm entirely serious when I suggest a shortened workweek as a Hail Mary addition to the Conservative Party of Canada's platform.

Not only is a four-day workweek compatible with capitalism, it achieves classically conservative goals, such as increased personal autonomy and decreased government spending in areas such as health care, childcare and public transit. It promotes family values. It's also a way to reduce our country's carbon footprint without new taxes or infringements on individual choice.

This week, Iceland declared the four-day workweek trial it ran across a variety of industries between 2015 and 2019, which saw some companies cut the workweek from 40 to 35 hours without reducing employee pay, an “overwhelming success.” Anyone concerned with the future of capitalism will be thrilled to know that Icelandic workplaces became more efficient and worker productivity increased. To top it off, employers saved on expenses, including energy bills, janitorial services and food budgets.

These employer benefits weren't an aberration. When Microsoft Japan embarked on a similar experiment in 2019, it saw comparable results: worker productivity increased by a whopping 40 per cent, while electricity costs plummeted by 23 per cent.

(THE IDEA SAVES) GOVERNMENTS AND TAXPAYERS MONEY.

— SABRINA MADDEAUX

According to another study from the Henley Business School, British companies that switched to four-day weeks are saving a total of £92-billion (US$126.9-billion) annually, with nearly two-thirds reporting increases in staff productivity.

For too long, we've bought into the fallacy that office hours are directly correlated with productive output and profits. The pandemic proved the office part of that equation unnecessary; now it's time to rethink the hours.

Shortened workweeks don't demand economic sacrifice, but they do make workers healthier and happier. Trials show declines in employee burnout and stress, fewer workplace safety incidents, fewer sick days used and workers reporting better mental and physical health. In Iceland, many participants became more active. As Canada grapples with how to fund its already overburdened health-care system, reducing demand should be a priority.

Yet health care isn't the only area in which four-day workweeks can save governments and taxpayers money. Public transit systems could extend their reduced weekend schedules. Childcare needs would lessen. Adult children could devote more time to caring for their elderly parents.

Aside from the financial benefits, the last two points should be no-brainers for a party that promotes family values.

The CPC struggles when it comes to putting forward conservative solutions to climate change, but this is one that's practically giftwrapped. Cutting commutes and corporate energy consumption by 20 per cent while giving people an extra day off is a win-win scenario that doesn't cost taxpayers a dime or infringe on personal choice.

Shortened workweeks aren't even a particularly radical idea anymore: they're being trailed or considered by governments in New Zealand, Spain, Scotland, Germany, Japan and even in Nova Scotia, where a small municipality used COVID as an opportunity to test the concept.

According to a June 2020 Angus Reid poll, the majority of Canadians support the idea of a four-day workweek. Only one in five think it's a bad idea. Unsurprisingly, support is particularly strong among younger Canadians — a demographic the Conservatives desperately need to win over.

It's actually quite astonishing that no Canadian political party has taken up this cause yet — that is, until you consider our country's serious deficit of bold, visionary leadership. This is a perfect opportunity for O'Toole to bolster his attempts to rebrand the Conservative party and prove that he's a forward-thinking candidate. If he manages to pull off a win, it's also the sort of policy that leaves a legacy.

If the latest poll numbers are to be believed, O'Toole needs a magic bullet to cut through the noise — and fast. A four-day workweek, an idea that's already proven to be wildly popular and ticks all the conservative boxes, sure seems like a perfect solution.

O'TOOLE NEEDS A MAGIC BULLET TO CUT THROUGH THE NOISE.

PEDRO CARRILHO/ GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCKPHOTO Iceland's four-day workweek trial was an “overwhelming success.”

SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES When Iceland declared a four-day workweek trial across a variety of industries from 2015 to 2019, it found many participants became more active, physically.