The 4-day work week: And other burnout prevention strategies

From longer work hours to increased demands at home, the Covid-19 pandemic introduced new stressors to nearly every domain of life. Although many organisations a beginning to settle on a semblance of normalcy within the workplace, burnout remains a major concern. The increased demands on workers due to restructures and the blurring of work-life boundaries are among the root causes of many employees still feeling stretched thin.

Enter the 4-day week. After a successful experiment in the UK and other developed countries, which showed workers' burnout and stress levels decreased while participating companies' revenues climbed up 8%, the notion of 4-day workweeks is no longer as bizarre an idea as it once was.

In this episode of the CHRO SA Podcast, you’ll hear about the merits of the 4-day week and whether it could be the panacea for burnout. You will hear from burnout activist Judy Klipin, who has written books and coached many executives on burnout recovery and prevention, as well as Karen Lowe, the director of 4 Day Week South Africa, who is spearheading the country's first four-day week pilot kicking off in March 2023.