Multiple matching
You are going to read an extract. For questions 1-10, choose from the sections (A-E). The sections may be chosen more than once.
The Four-Day Week: Progress, Privilege, or Problem?
The impact of the four-day work week on productivity, wellbeing, and society
A tempting promise: more life, same output
When companies announce a four-day week, the headlines make it sound like a minor miracle: fewer hours, identical productivity, and employees who suddenly have time to cook, exercise and phone their grandparents. I understand the excitement. The most convincing pilots I’ve seen didn’t simply “cut Friday”; they redesigned how work happens—shorter meetings, clearer priorities, fewer layers of approval. In those cases, output didn’t fall because a lot of the old schedule was never truly productive in the first place. Still, I’m wary of the triumphal tone. Some roles depend on being available rather than producing a neat deliverable, and not every team has the power to refuse last-minute requests. The four-day week can be a genuine improvement, but only if it’s treated as an organisational change, not a motivational poster. Otherwise, the same workload is squeezed into fewer days and everyone just looks busier while feeling more exhausted.
Which section/person suggests that a four-day week only works when organisations rethink how work is organised, rather than simply removing a day?
Which section/person warns that some jobs are defined by being on hand for others, making a shorter week harder to implement fairly?
In which section does the writer argue that ‘productivity’ is not a single straightforward measure and can look different depending on what you value?
Which section/person implies that some reported ‘successes’ may be misleading because employees keep targets up by working outside official hours?
Which section/person highlights that the policy could deepen divisions inside the same organisation, with some teams enjoying long weekends while others must remain accessible?
Which section/person questions the claim that a four-day week automatically improves equality for parents, pointing out practical obstacles outside the workplace?
Which section/person suggests that the biggest barrier to making the change succeed is not timetabling, but workplace attitudes that reward long hours and constant visibility?
In which section does the writer express both optimism about the benefits and criticism of how casually organisations claim the transition will be easy?
Which section/person contrasts possible environmental gains with ways the extra day off could cancel them out through different leisure or consumption choices?
Which section/person argues that the public often frames the four-day week too narrowly as an internal workplace benefit, ignoring broader effects on society and infrastructure?
0 of 10 answered