Canadian Green Party calls for a 4-day work week

The Green Party of British Columbia is calling on Canadian provincial governments to create favourable conditions for a 4-day work week.

Recently we wrote about a study by Canadian sociologists concerning the possibility of a four-day workweek in Canada. It didn't take long for news on the subject to reach us.

Last week, B.C. Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau called on authorities to launch a test version of the 4-day work week in all Canadian provinces so that their residents could get a chance to find an adequate work-life balance. "People are exhausted because of futile attempts to keep up with rising living standards, inadequate health care and the effects of the pandemic. Business owners and managers face a noticeable labor shortage and are struggling to keep their workers," she said.

Her words are confirmed by the experience of some Canadian companies.

For example, Lina Yousefi, founder of the Vancouver-based YLaw Group, assures that her employees have been working four days a week for two years. The aim of the experiment was to avoid employee burnout and maintain their mental health.

"I looked at the numbers and decided that if I lost 10-20% of my profits but gave my employees a chance to catch their breath and be happier, so be it, I would accept it," she recounted. — But as a result, we actually started making more money in four working days a week.

Last year, Britain conducted a six-month study on the 4-day workweek with 61 companies. The results were astonishing.

The 4-day workweek does reduce stress and illness levels. Seventy-one percent of the employees at these companies, as a result, significantly decreased the level of professional burnout, and 39% significantly decreased the level of stress.

Levels of anxiety and fatigue have decreased, and many have resolved problems with sleep. Physical and mental health indicators improved.