A 4-Day Workweek Is Being Tested All Over Canada & So Many Places Are Making It Permanent
Every weekend is a long weekend for employees in Canada testing a four-day workweek! Across the country, towns and individual companies are trialling a shorter week and in many cases, it seems to be going pretty well.
Back in 2020, the Nova Scotia municipality of Guysborough began testing out a four-day workweek for employees in the town. Per the schedule, approximately 60 municipal employees took either Monday or Friday off every week.
After the nine-month pilot project ended in April 2021, councillors approved a policy to keep the shorter schedule in place. It has since become permanent.
After the change was made official, Narcity caught up with the municipality's chief administrative officer, Barry Carroll, to find out how things had been going.
"I'm seeing people have a bounce in their step. It seems like they have something to work for and they want to be successful," he said in 2021. "They see the advantages of having that extra day."
"A big, big positive coming out of this is that our sick leave in the organization is way down compared to what it was," he said, noting that older people enjoyed more rest time, while younger employees say they have more time to spend with their spouses and families.
"It seems to be a win-win," he concluded.
A compressed work week
The move inspired more Maritime municipalities to pilot similar projects, including the town of Quispamsis in New Brunswick.
Quispamsis began its test period in May of 2022, and it had made the change permanent by the following October.
Aaron Kennedy, the region's acting chief administrative officer, said 99% of employees wanted to permanently shift schedules to the compressed work week -- which saw staff work from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., four days per week.
"I hate to speak in absolutes, but I don’t have any indication that there was any negative impact on our residents or on our business owners in the town," Kennedy said, per Country96.
Employees reported an improvement in their mental and physical health, and said they were more productive at work while also having more time for social activities, chores, and family.
No complaints
The Ontario township of Zorra began testing a similar schedule in September 2020. The eight-month initiative became optional to municipal staffers, who rotated to take Fridays or Mondays off.
Don MacLeod, Zorra's chief administrative officer, told Narcity in October 2021 that employees "loved it."
"We do have a couple of employees that have kids, so they find it's one less day of daycare for them," he said, adding that the rest of the town were happy with the changes too.
"There hasn't been any negativity that I've seen personally or heard from members of council," he said.
This change was also later made permanent.
It's inspired a whole bunch of Ontario townships to do the same, with many implementing a shorter workweek to improve the work-life balance of employees.
Attracting talent
In October 2022, Saint John, New Brunswick, began its own pilot of a four-day workweek, with employees working the same number of hours as before, but on a Monday through Thursday schedule.
While work-life balance for existing employees was a key factor in the change, the pilot was also introduced in an attempt to attract top talent.
City Manager John Collin explained at the time, "As a major employer, we are continually exploring ways to improve the workplace for employees and attract talent, while continuing to serve the community at a high standard."
He added, "More and more organizations are focusing on innovative approaches to remain competitive and meet the evolving needs of employees and customers, and our research shows that they are seeing impressive results by taking the leap."
October 2023 will mark the end of the year-long trial, and a decision on whether to make the change permanent is expected by the end of the summer.
Scrapping the 9-to-5
It's not just towns scrapping the traditional 9-to-5, either. In 2020, Ottawa-based tech consultancy firm Iversoft launched an optional four-day workweek to give staff more flexibility.
"As long as the work is getting done, manage [your time] however you want," the company's chief executive told staff when introducing the pilot program.
Likewise, in 2021, Recruitment company owner Jamie Savage told Narcity about her company's short workweek, which was implemented when her employees were "working more hours, struggling to create boundaries, and burning out."
She says the positive impact was seen and felt immediately, and a year after the new schedule was implemented, she said the business "thrived."
"It was one of the best decisions I have made as an entrepreneur."
Companies coming on board
A recent survey by Robert Half, shared via CTV News, found that 91% of senior managers surveyed would support a four-day work week for their team.
Many added that they expect their company to transition to a longer weekend within the next five years – something almost 75% of workers said they'd accept in exchange for four 10-hour days.
And it's clear just how many companies are getting on board with a shorter working week, as businesses offering this perk are hiring all over the country.
A national four-day workweek
In Iceland, four-day workweek trials have been ongoing for several years and the results show the program to have been an overwhelming success.
Between 2015 and 2019, the country had two trials where people worked a reduced week with no pay reduction.
The test was so positive that now 86% of Iceland's workforce either works shorter hours or has the right to reduce their hours if they want to.
Studies say the change improved employees' well-being and work-life balance overall.
In 2022, the world's biggest three-day weekend pilot launched in the U.K., with over 3,300 employees from 70 firms participating in the new schedule strategy. It was found to be an overwhelming success and was implemented permanently less than a year later.
When asked in 2020 about the potential for a national four-day workweek in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, "I think there are a lot of people thinking creatively about what the post-COVID world could look like."
He added, "And I look forward to hearing a wide range of suggestions. But right now, we're very much focused on getting through this particular crisis."
He has not spoken on the idea since.
