Study shows working a four day workweek is effective Icelandic researchers found that a four-day workweek without a pay cut improved worker wellbeing dramatically. A study published by the independent think tank Autonomy followed 2,500 workers in Iceland for four years to determine how they would react to only 35 to 36 hours of work per week instead of 40. They concluded that it was "by all measures an overwhelming success" after tracking workers from 2015 to 2019. According to the study, productivity and services provided remain the same or improved. Furthermore, the study found that workers' wellbeing "dramatically improved across a range of indicators, from perceived stress and burnout to health and work-life balance."