The four-day workweek
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Can fewer hours create healthier, more productive workplaces?
Could reducing the traditional workweek improve employee wellbeing without sacrificing business performance? In this edition of Workplace mental health: It starts at the top, three business leaders examine the four-day workweek from both an organizational and employee perspective. Maureen Juniper and John Nash share firsthand experience introducing reduced working hours in their own organizations, while Charlotte Lockhart brings insights from international trials examining the impact of shorter working weeks on wellbeing, productivity and workplace culture.
Moderated by Akela Peoples, CEO of Mental Health Research Canada, the conversation moves beyond the idea of simply giving employees an extra day off. The panel discusses how organizations can redesign work, identify inefficiencies and measure outcomes so that reduced hours do not mean reduced productivity or client service. They also explore the potential benefits for stress, burnout, work-life balance and employee engagement, while emphasizing that a four-day week is not a substitute for strong leadership, healthy workplace culture, fair compensation and other fundamentals of a supportive organization.
Expert Voices
Maureen Juniper
Founder and partner, PRAXIS
Maureen Juniper is the founder and partner of PRAXIS, a Canadian marketing communications agency she established with a vision of building a high-performing organization while supporting a healthy work-life balance. PRAXIS began trialling a four-day workweek in 2022, restructuring schedules so employees could reduce their working time while maintaining client coverage. In this conversation, she shares what the organization learned about productivity, employee involvement and the practical changes required to make the model work.
Charlotte Lockhart
Founder and managing director, 4 Day Week Global
Charlotte Lockhart is the founder and managing director of 4 Day Week Global, an organization promoting productivity-focused, reduced-hour working models internationally. Through four-day week pilot programs in countries including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, she has helped organizations test how working fewer hours can affect productivity and employee wellbeing. In this session, she brings a global perspective on the evidence, implementation and measurement behind the model.
John Nash
Founder, Nicholson Search and Selection
John Nash is the founder of Nicholson Search and Selection, an international executive search firm specializing in technology businesses. Nicholson introduced a shorter working week years before it became a widespread workplace discussion, giving Nash extensive firsthand experience with its longer-term effects. In the webinar, he discusses how the organization adapted its working practices, maintained productivity and created greater flexibility for employees without compromising business performance.
Beneva
What is Workplace mental health: It starts at the top?
This series brings CEOs and other organizational leaders together to discuss how leadership decisions can shape employee mental health and wellbeing. Hosted by Mental Health Research Canada, the series combines organizational experience with practical approaches to creating healthier workplaces, highlighting the role leaders can play in changing how work is structured and supported. The series is sponsored by Beneva.
