The push for a four-day workweek gained global momentum this month, as South Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom (UK) joined the growing roster of countries piloting the expanding movement, whose proponents promise would improve “work-life balance and productivity.” In South Korea, workers across 50 companies in Gyeonggi Province will have the choice to either opt for a four-day workweek every two weeks or shortened hours each week. Japan, a country, where overwork kills at least 50 people each year, is pushing for a shorter workweek to improve work culture and face a pressing labor shortage. Over in Europe, the UK’s new labor government is proposing a plan that would allow workers to request a four-day working week. These three nations are just the latest in a long list that has been leaning more toward the idea, since the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted the traditional workweek, pushing millions to adopt remote work. The newfound flexibility led many to question the nine-to-five, five-day workweek that has dominated the global economy for decades. Employers and employees were free to explore new possibilities, such as a shorter workweek, and assess whether it could…
