PO Podcast 130 - Modernizing work with a four-day week

Policy Options Podcast

The pandemic, combined with working from home, has challenged our perceptions of how we work. People are now able to “work from home” from anywhere, and the concept of a disaggregated workforce is gaining acceptance. The idea that being employed means staying in one place and following the same rules that we have followed for generations is crumbling, and people are adapting to this new normal. But the changes have not been all positive. In fact, research shows that people are more stressed and overworked than they have been in decades, and that the technology that was supposed to make work easier has invaded our non-work lives and broken down the barrier between work and life. How can employers decrease the stress that employees are feeling, and how can we rethink work? To discuss these ideas I am speaking with Linda Duxbury, Chancellor's Professor at Carleton University, who studies work-life balance and the impact of technology on employees. Some employers are indeed recognizing that the pandemic gave us an opportunity to change the way we work and reduce the stress felt by employees. One of these is our second guest, Barry Carroll, chief administrative officer at the municipality of Guysborough on the east coast of Nova Scotia. He transitioned his entire workforce to a four-day work week. Our third guest, Christina Bowie, is an employee at the municipality of Guysborough who now works four days a week. We will be discussing their experiences and how the change has impacted the lives of these employees.