Over half of Irish professionals believe a four-day working week will become a reality within the next five years, according to new survey carried out by recruitment firm Hays Ireland.
22% think it will become a reality in the next five to ten years, while less than a quarter believe it will never happen.
Campaigns for a four-day week have started gaining significant traction amongst Irish-based professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The most frequently cited benefit of this shorter working week is employee mental health and wellbeing.
Other prominent benefits cited include talent attraction and talent retention.
11% of those surveyed think it will result in greater organisational productivity.
According to Hays' research, 6% of Irish workplaces have already implemented a four-day working week.
4% have implemented a four-day working week on a permanent basis, while 2% are currently operating it on a trial basis.
However, as employers look for new ways to differentiate themselves from their industry peers, Hayes Ireland said this trend may become more widespread in the near future.
64% of professionals claim they would be tempted to move to a different organisation if it was offering a four-day working week.
"The last two years have encouraged employers to reconsider the workplace environment," said Maureen Lynch, Director at Hays Ireland.
"The switch to remote- and hybrid-working models have proven hugely successful.
"Both employers and employees have bought into this new way of working, with over 76% of Irish-based professionals attributing the hybrid model to a better work-life balance," she said.
Ms Lynch said this has opened the floor for further discussion of alternative ways of working, such as the four day working week.
"At face value, for many employees, the prospect of a four-day working week is extremely attractive.
"However, what this looks like in practise may be dependent on the industry and jurisdiction.
"For some employers, this means reducing the number of hours in the traditional 40 hour working week, for others, it means compressing 40 hours a week into four days, rather than five," she explained.
Earlier this year, Belgium became the latest country to provide workers with the option of a four-day working week.
Belgian-based workers will still be expected to work a traditional 38-hour week, but they will now have the opportunity to complete these hours across a compressed four day working week.
Employees can request a six-month trial period, after which, should they desire, they can continue on permanent basis.
Other European countries including Spain and Iceland are piloting similar four-day models.
