Henley Business School joins major €3m European research project on the four-day working week

Henley Business School is taking part in a major new international research project exploring the future of working time across Europe, led by the University of Salford and funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.

The €3.1 million (£2.7 million) project, Four4All, will deliver one of the most comprehensive studies to date on the impact of reduced working hours, including the growing adoption of the four-day, 32-hour working week without loss of pay.

Dr Rita Fontinha, Director of Flexible Work at Henley’s World of Work Institute is part of the international research team and will contribute to examining how shorter working weeks affect organisations, employees and wider society.

Shaping the future of work

As interest in alternative working models continues to grow, Four4All will investigate two central questions: what happens when working time is reduced, and how four-day weeks can be successfully implemented across different countries, sectors and job types.

The project will assess impacts on business performance, employee wellbeing, equality, the economy and the environment. It will combine large-scale data analysis with in-depth case studies, stakeholder insights and exploration of how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, are reshaping work.

Dr Rita Fontinha said about the project:

"Working time reduction is one of the most important workplace innovations currently being explored across Europe, but we still know surprisingly little about how to implement it successfully at scale. Four4All will allow us to move beyond individual trials and generate robust evidence on what works, for whom, and under what conditions, helping organisations and policymakers make more informed decisions about the future of work."

International collaboration

Four4All brings together nine partner organisations from seven countries, combining expertise in economics, sociology, occupational health, environmental science and public policy. The consortium includes leading universities, research institutes and organisations specialising in working time innovation.

Informing policy and practice

The findings will provide valuable evidence to inform European and national policy debates, while offering practical guidance for employers, policymakers and trade unions considering or implementing shorter working weeks.

To speak with Dr Rita Fontinha or any of our academic experts, email pr@henley.ac.uk.