Scotland’s four-day week policy would be a disaster

A shock poll commissioned by the IPPR Scotland thinktank has revealed this week that more than 80 per cent of Scots would like to work fewer hours for the same pay. This may well prompt further revelations about the religious leanings of the Pope, or the toilet habits of bears, but in the meantime, the IPPR has called on the Scottish government to extend its financial support for companies who want to trial a four-day working week.

This is still quite a modest proposal. The SNP manifesto for the May elections promised to establish a £10 million fund for companies trialling the shorter week, with the results used to consider a more general shift ‘as and when Scotland gains full control of employment rights’. There are no plans to introduce a four-day week straightaway, even if it were possible to do so.

Nonetheless, there is a lot of utopian thinking here – and significant risks too.

It is perfectly reasonable to believe that cutting working hours would have a positive effect on people’s wellbeing, and even that they might be more productive.