More than half of Irish professionals (54%) believe a four-day workweek will be widely adopted within the next five years, according to a survey by recruiter Hays Ireland.

Overall, 19% believe the four-day week will be a reality in the next year or two while 36% think it will be a reality in the next two to five years. A further fifth (22%) think it will become a reality in the next five to 10 years, and nearly a quarter (23%) think it will never happen.

The most frequently cited benefit of a shorter working work among to the 888 respondents was employee mental health (56%), ahead of talent attraction (14%) and retention (13.6%), and organisational productivity (11%).

According to Hays’ research, 6% of Irish workplaces have already implemented a four-day working week; 4% have implemented a four-day working week on a permanent basis, while 2% are currently operating it on a trial basis.

Some 64% of professionals claim they would be tempted to move to a different organisation if it was offering a four-day working week, indicating that shorter weeks could be exploited by employers looking to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

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"The last two years have encouraged employers to reconsider the workplace environment. The switch to remote- and hybrid-working models have proven hugely successful," said Maureen Lynch, director at Hays Ireland. "Both employers and employees have bought into this new way of working, with over 76% of Irish-based professionals attributing the hybrid model to a better work-life balance. 

“This has now opened the floor for further discussion of alternative ways of working within Irish organisations. The latest frontier is the four-day working week. At face value, for many employees, the prospect of a four-day working week is extremely attractive. 

"However, what this looks like in practice may be dependent on the industry and jurisdiction.  For some employers, this means reducing the number of hours in the traditional 40-hour working week, for others, it means compressing 40 hours a week into four days, rather than five.  

“While the number of employers currently offering a four-day working week is still extremely low, today’s research suggests that this may soon change.  At a time when the market has never been more competitive, the proposition of a four-day working week may present an exciting new opportunity for employers to differentiate themselves from their competitors.”   

Belgium became the latest country to give workers the option of a four-day week earlier this year. Employees will still be expected to work a 38-hour week, but have the option to compress their obligations into four days.

Employees can request a six-month trial period, after which, should they desire, they can continue on permanent basis. Other European countries including Spain and Iceland are piloting similar four-day models.  

The Department of the Environment became the first Irish government department to openly engage with the concept, having recently committed to undertaking a feasibility study into the working model.  

(Pic: Getty Images)