Iceland smoothly transformed its work culture in 2019 with a bold approach that captured worldwide attention. What started as a small pilot project eventually reshaped the country’s workforce.
The results are amazing and offer a glimpse of the future of work. In 2019, Iceland was a conversation worldwide by implementing the 4 -day working week – an innovative and ambitious labor reform.
This change was not a isolated actbut part of an ongoing experience that had started in 2015. Initially involving 2,500 workersthe rehearsal aimed to reduce the work week of 40 hours to only 35 hours, no salary cut.
Although the idea of a shorter working week has been debated globally, the Iceland became the first country to adopt it on the national scale, marking a radical deviation of traditional labor culture.
The experience was quite comprehensiveencompassing various sectors and public services, including childhood educators, health professionals and administrative staff.
The Icelandic government, together with the Requiza City Council, led the initiative, informs the.
The workers were not simply encouraged to condense the same hours in less days, as happens in other countries, such as the Belgium. Instead, Iceland’s goal was improve workplace efficiencyeliminating unnecessary meetings, streamlining administrative processes and optimizing a prioritization of tasks.
According to one carried out by the Icelandic Association for Sustainable Democracy (Alda), the workers reported Significant improvements na professional satisfaction, mental health and balance between personal and professional life and there was a remarkable stress reduction and in cases of burnout.
The public reaction to rehearsals was extremely positiveand it became evident that the reduced work week was a victory for both workers and employers.
Em 2021, 86% of the Icelandic labor force had already passed For shorter times or acquired the right to do so through new work agreements, many of them negotiated by unions.
One of the biggest concerns related to the reduction of working week was the potential impact on the Icelandic economy. Critics predicted a break in productivity, a reduction in profits and economic difficulties.
However, these concerns were unfounded. In 2023, the unemployment rate in Iceland remained surprisingly lowin 3.4%, and the country registered a GDP growth of 5%.
The main reasons for this success are the greatest motivation e concentration of the workers, who are no longer overloaded with excessive hours.
Companies reported a increase in employee involvementwho felt more linked to their work. In addition, it allowed workers to better manage their lives, and resulted in stronger family relationships e Health improvements.
Global Trend inspired by Iceland
Iceland’s success in reducing working week has aroused worldwide interest. In Spainthe government launched in 2021 a three-year pilot program, involving 6,000 workers, to test the Feasibility of Reduction of work hours.
Similarly, both Germany like the United Kingdom started their own essays, Adapting the Icelandic model to its realities.
As countries and companies are inspired by the Icelandic model, the debate on productivity and well-being at work is changing. The results of the tests suggest that the efficiency should not be measured by the number of hours worked, but by the quality of work done.
This paradigm shift could make way for a more sustainable and people -centered model, which gives priority not only to economic growth, but also to Health, Happiness and Balance of the workforce.
