Ireland urged to take the lead on national four-day work week
Ireland should implement a four-day working week across the entire country, according to one Dublin City Councillor.
Sinn Féin Councillor Anthony Connaghan is urging the Government to build upon recent pilot programme successes and implement policy that will support the country’s transition toward a new way of working. With research demonstrating improved productivity among workers under this system, he believes everyone will benefit.
Cllr Connaghan spoke to Dublin Live about his upcoming motion to encourage a radical change in the way millions of Irish employees organise their week. He said that the promise that industrialisation would make life easier for people “never really transpired” and “what happened is we work longer hours now”.
The change, that challenges traditional concepts of productivity, was pioneered by New Zealand entrepreneur Andrew Barnes, who first trialled the concept at his company in 2018. As workers reported having more time for hobbies and family, their job satisfaction skyrocketed.
With such positive results, then New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested it could be the way forward as economies struggled to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Several countries, like Spain, Japan, Belgium, France, and Iceland, have all put steps in place to shift toward a four-day work week.
Following these developments, Dublin City Council piloted a four-day work week as a six month trial among some of its employees in 2021. The Council weren’t the only ones exploring this concept as several businesses across Ireland also tested out the idea.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Workers’ Rights Louise O’Reilly TD revealed in 2022 that “the results showed that 100 per cent of workers would like to continue a reduced work schedule”. The companies were also happy with the results, with nine out of 12 participating businesses stating they would retain the four-day week arrangement.
The positive results of these trials led to some council members suggesting that they implement the four-day work week in Dublin as a way to improve employees' work-life balance and entice new staff. However, the response was that, for this to be achieved, it would have to be a part of national legislation.
Cllr Connaghan said he understands that this is an ambitious motion, but explained “we introduced the smoking ban way back when it wasn't popular” and that Ireland could lead by example here. He explained that “we can see the benefits” and believes it is possible to introduce this, not in some distant future, but now.
“We call upon the Government to consider legislative measures that would facilitate this transition, ensuring that both public and private sector employees can benefit from a reduced working week without a loss in pay. This council believes that such a change would contribute to a healthier, more sustainable and more equitable society,” Cllr Connaghan wrote in his upcoming motion to the Council.
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