Big Idea for the New Decade: 4 Day Week phenomenon told in new book

Piatkus, an imprint of Little, Brown Group, today announced the publication in January 2020 of The 4 Day Week: How the Flexible Work Revolution Can Increase Productivity, Profitability and Wellbeing, and Create a Sustainable Future by Andrew Barnes with Stephanie Jones.

Barnes's company Perpetual Guardian sparked global media fascination with their flexible work model after they successfully trialled and implemented the four-day week, resulting in a 20% lift in employee productivity, a 27% reduction in work stress levels, and a 45% increase in employee work-life balance.

In The 4 Day Week, Andrew Barnes presents a radical, convincing case for a sustainable, profitable future in which we work less, but are more productive, engaged and satisfied. He argues that the five-day working week is outdated and no longer fit for purpose in a hyper-connected era. With the four-day week, Barnes says we can have the best of all worlds: optimal productivity, work-life balance, and benefits for both employees and employers.

Piatkus editor Tom Asker said: "The 4 Day Week is a deeply researched, cogently argued manifesto for a revolution in the way we think about work. Andrew Barnes's model values the wellbeing of the worker at home in equal measure to their productivity in the office, and presents compelling data that a more flexible approach to work is in all our best interests. Barnes is not only a hugely successful businessman, but a fantastic writer, too. The 4 Day Week will be essential reading for business leaders and employees alike."

Author Andrew Barnes said: "With its emphasis on productivity, the four-day week tackles hard issues facing our world, for example stress and the breakdown in mental health, gender equality in pay, and the environmental crisis. Four-day weeks offer significant societal benefits from relief of congested highways and public transport systems, reduction in healthcare costs, through to more harmonious families and more purposeful lives.

Barnes noted the increasing number of companies, brands, and public service organizations that are trialling or implementing four-day weeks, as well as advocacy groups involving business, unions, political parties, academics, environmental, and women's groups that have launched in Washington DC, London, Dublin, and Moscow.

"What started as a simple experiment in a single company has become a global movement," said Barnes. "The four-day week is a big idea for the 2020 decade."

The 4 Day Week (9780349424903, US$19.99, CAN$24.99) will be distributed in North America by Hachette Book Group and readers can pre-order it now from all good book retailers.