Why Scotland needs a four-day working week - Lorna Slater
There is a quiet revolution taking place in how we think about work. For generations, the five-day working week has been treated as fixed, almost natural. But just as past generations fought for weekends, for paid holidays and for safer workplaces, we now stand on the brink of the next step forward, a four-day working week.
This is not a fringe idea. It is a practical, evidence-based policy that can improve lives, strengthen our economy and build a fairer Scotland.
Trials here in Scotland and beyond are already showing what many workers instinctively know, that when people are healthier, happier and less stressed, they do better work.
The Scottish Greens have seen this first hand. Within our own offices, a four-day week has delivered a better work life balance, reduced stress and improved focus. Staff report having more control over their time and more energy to bring to their roles. That is not just good for workers, it is good for productivity too.
Too often, critics respond to change with the same tired arguments. We heard it when the weekend was introduced. We heard it when the minimum wage was created. Each time those warnings proved wrong. Extending workers’ rights has never weakened our economy, it has always strengthened it.
A shorter working week also speaks to the kind of country we want to build. Scotland already has longer working hours than many of our European neighbours. That comes at a cost, to our mental health, to our families and to our communities.
A four-day week gives people time, with loved ones, time to volunteer, time simply to rest.
And the benefits go further. By spreading work more fairly across the workforce, it can help create new jobs. By reducing commuting and unnecessary travel, it can support our climate goals. By improving wellbeing, it can ease pressure on our NHS.
The Scottish Greens want to see this change become a reality. That means supporting businesses and public bodies to trial a four-day week, learning what works in different sectors and building towards a permanent shift, with no loss of pay.
Some businesses already allow a four-day week, which is a normal arrangement of 35, 37 or 40 hours condensed into four longer days, the next step to achieve a true four-day working week is to remove a day’s worth of hours from the full-time expectation.
The next Scottish Government has a choice. It can cling to outdated models of work that leave too many people exhausted and overstretched. Or it can embrace a modern, forward-looking approach that puts wellbeing, fairness and productivity at its heart.
A four-day week is not about working less. It is about living more. And with the right political will, it can be one of the defining achievements of the next Parliament.