Nine out of 10 Canadians are interested in a four-day work week, according to a recent survey, making it their most desirable benefit ahead of health care, flexible scheduling and additional vacation days.

To be clear, a four-day work week in this context does not refer to a condensed five-day schedule, but rather the 100-80-100 model, where employees work 80 per cent of the time while maintaining 100 per cent of their productivity and pay. This means Canada, which already struggles with productivity levels, won’t see a dip if it switches to this model.

Globally, the four-day work week has proven successful. 4 Day Week Global, a not-for-profit organization, has run pilot programs in six continents. It reports that 91 per cent of companies that have tried this model chose to continue with it.

Could the four-day work week be Canada’s new reality? While we can’t predict the future, here are five compelling reasons why a reduced work week makes sense for the country.

Over the past 150 years, work hours have been consistently decreasing despite resistance from employers. In the past, Canadian factory workers used to endure up to 12-hour workdays, six days a week, totalling a gruelling 72-hour work week.

In 1872, when printers in Toronto requested a nine-hour workday, their demands were dismissed as “foolish,” “absurd,” and “unreasonable” by employers. This led to the historic Printers’ Strike, a part of the Nine Hour Movement advocating for shorter workdays.

Over the next century, unionized workers continued to fight against employer skepticism and achieve shorter work weeks. The standard work week was progressively reduced until it reached 40 hours in the 1960s.

Throughout history, efforts........

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