Reduced Carbon Emissions and Enhanced Well-Being via the Four-day Workweek
FY25 SI-RITEA Type A
Abstract
This project addresses the relationship between working hours, well-being and carbon emissions. Following initial papers by Schor and collaborators, a growing literature finds a positive correlation between working hours and carbon emissions. However, these are macro-level, correlational studies which do not explain causal connections. We now have a unique opportunity to study this relationship at the individual level. Since 2021, we have led a global project studying organizations offering employees a four-day, thirty-two hour week with no salary reduction. We use a within-subjects methodology which involves data collection from organizations and employees before and after the trial. Our findings to date have generated enormous interest in this schedule change among employers and the general public.
We address three main outcomes: worker well-being, organizational performance, and carbon emissions. To date, we have rigorous results showing strong improvements in well-being. We also have strong results on organizational performance with moderately good data. However, we have been unable to capture robust data on emissions, which are complex to measure. We anticipated that office closures, fewer commuting days and less household time scarcity would reduce emissions. Conversely, the potential for increased travel, higher household energy use on the off-day, and non-closure of offices predict higher emissions. Assessing these different scenarios has important implications for understanding the climate impacts of the future of work.
Our existing grants (from NSF and Russell Sage) fund ongoing data collection and analysis. The Schiller Institute Grants will provide crucial support to enhance our team capacity, enabling the development of new data collection methods to address climate and sustainability impacts. We will be partnering with an organization called Worktime Reduction (https://worktimereduction.com) whose CEO we have collaborated with since 2021.