When the 4-day workweek works

The aspiration of those observing the evolution of work in recent years is to find technical solutions that ensure our jobs are both “beautiful” and more productive. Is reducing working hours one of the aspects that can contribute to the "beauty" of work? An evaluation of one of the first Italian experiences, conducted by Rossella Cappetta, Associate Dean of Open Programs at SDA Bocconi and Professor of Organization and Human Resources Management at Bocconi University, and Maurizio Del Conte, Professor of Labor Law at Bocconi University and SDA Bocconi, further indicates that reducing work hours can generate value for both individuals and companies, but only if accompanied by other profound redesign interventions.

The four-day workweek is a recent phenomenon, widely tested in a few contexts in Italy. Magister Group, a multi-business corporation with over 300 consultants offering integrated services focused on Human Resources, introduced the 4-day workweek in March 2023 and also commissioned SDA Bocconi School of Management to monitor the project. The evaluation results were presented on June 25 during a conference moderated by journalist Enrico Mentana.

In a preliminary assessment shortly after the introduction, employees showed a positive perception of the new work mode, while noting its organizational complexity and the risk of fatigue associated with more concentrated work rhythms.

Both in July 2023 and February 2024 (the two moments when workers responded to a survey), high average values were recorded for several perceptual indicators, such as clarity of tasks and organizational clarity, work effectiveness, support received from colleagues, perception of trust, and sense of duty. Some perceptual dimensions also showed significant improvement from July to February: negative emotions, perception of workload, feelings of exhaustion, and perceived interference between work and family and between family and work decreased.

The data also confirm the tendency to remain truly "off" on the free day. A minority of workers end up going to the office even on their day off, while half of the workers report not working at all, not even from home.

The critical issues to watch out for include the perceived reduction in the interdependence of one's work with that of other colleagues, a decrease in friendly relationships at work, and a diminished sense of the significance of one's work.

After the first year, the evaluation shows a positive balance of the 4-day workweek experience: employee perceptions are on average positive, and the increased time available to people seems to enhance well-being both in private and professional life; the company's economic results have not been negatively affected by the reduction in working hours.

However, the 4-day workweek should not be considered a universal solution. “No intervention on a single dimension of the job guarantees an improvement in its value,” concluded Cappetta. “Reducing time can, and only in some contexts, generate social and economic value together if, and only if, accompanied by a profound redesign of other dimensions of the job (integrity, discretion, and skills provision, especially) and of the organization (planning and coordination mechanisms, especially).”

Other spekars of the conference were Simona Lombardi (Magister Group); Roberto Benaglia (Fim Cisl); Giuseppe Nardacchione (Automobili Lamborghini), Amelia Parente (Leads, Women Leaders in Healthcare), and the Dean of SDA Bocconi School of Management, Stefano Caselli.

SDA Bocconi School of Management