REDUCED WORK HOURS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE ON PRODUCTIVITY, OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

The reduction of working hours has been proposed as a policy capable of combining productivity gains, improvements in occupational health, and the promotion of more sustainable development. This article conducts a integrative literature review of the international literature with the aim of analyzing the scientific evidence on the impacts of working time reduction on these three axes. Based on a corpus of 30 references – including peer-reviewed articles, systematic reviews, reports from international organizations, and public policy experiments conducted in countries such as Iceland, the United Kingdom, and in global initiatives – the study investigates how different models (four-day workweek, compressed workweek, reduction to 35–36 hours per week) affect organizational indicators, workers' physical and mental health, and quality of life, as well as their relationship with environmental sustainability. The analysis reveals that, when accompanied by the reorganization of work processes, working time reduction preserves or increases hourly productivity, significantly reduces stress, burnout, and the risk of cardiovascular diseases, increases job satisfaction and work-family balance, and can contribute to reducing carbon emissions through changes in commuting and consumption patterns. At the same time, sectoral, institutional, and cultural limits and challenges to the implementation of reduced working hours policies are identified, pointing to the need for a contextualized approach and integrated public policies. It is concluded that working time reduction, more than a social protection measure, constitutes a multifaceted strategy for sustainable development, with documented positive effects on human well-being and the economy.