Working paper
Reduce or compress? Panel evidence on working time arrangements and worker wellbeing
- Abstract:
- The 4-day work week (4DW) has garnered much attention following recent high-profile trials; whereas the compressed work week (CWW) has made a concurrent comeback. The rise of two comparable working time arrangements (WTA) raises the question: which is best for workers? To compare, this article uses representative panel data from the UK observing both WTAs. Results unsurprisingly corroborate the 4DW is good for workers. In sharp contrast, the CWW is associated with declines in women’s wellbeing. These possible harms are alleviated when coinciding with ‘a lot’ of schedule control, demonstrating the importance of worker control for individuals utilising WTAs. Yet these differences signal significant gender trade-offs. Overall, theory should not be so ambivalent about wellbeing and working time: working less is better. For organisational and public policy, divergent results emphasise equivalating working time reduction and compression is unhelpful for guiding interventions which support worker wellbeing.
- Publication status:
- Published
Actions
Access Document
- Files:
-
-
(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 1007.4KB, Terms of use)
-
Authors
- Publisher:
- Wellbeing Research Centre
- Series:
- Wellbeing Research Centre Working Paper
- Place of publication:
- Oxford, UK
- Publication date:
- 2026-08-27
- DOI:
- Paper number:
- 2601
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
-
2453254
- Local pid:
-
pubs:2453254
- Deposit date:
-
2026-08-28
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright date:
- 2026
If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record