Insider Finance - Business - Insider Today: 4-day week works

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July 29, 2023

Happy Saturday, Insiders. There’s that saying about no such thing as a free lunch. Well, that might be true for one woman in Virginia, she received more than 100 Amazon packages that she didn’t order. The packages included 1,000 headlamps, 800 glue guns, and other goods.

While we don’t have surprise deliveries on tap, here’s what we have in store today:

Travel: A couple is sharing their Costco Travel hack.
Health: Thousands of people are suddenly allergic to red meat.
Culture: How to get $140 worth of birthday freebies and gifts.

But first: Shortening the workweek.

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THE BIG STORY

4-day workweek

Arif Qazi/Insider

Calls for the four-day workweek are getting louder. Plus, positive results from multiple studies are adding to the rallying cry.

In one of the largest international studies on the four-day workweek, which spanned more than 40 companies and lasted longer than one year, the results were win-win.

Participating companies grew their revenue by 15%, and at the experiment’s end, none said they planned to return to a five-day workweek. Meanwhile, employees reported a slew of benefits, too:

About one-third of employees said they were less likely to leave the company.
More than two-thirds of employees said they were less burned out.
Nearly three-fourths of employees said they had a stronger work-life balance.

On the heels of the study’s success, a lawmaker is renewing his fight to turn the 32-hour workweek into law. Democratic Rep. Mark Takano told Insider. “The four-day workweek is here to stay.”

The results come as more and more people reevaluate their relationships with work. Remote and hybrid accommodations have transformed how much people work and how much they want to work.

The “lazy girl jobs” and “quiet quitting” trends directly result from the pandemic-induced attitude changes to work. Managers are now declaring that 4-6 p.m. is a “dead zone,” since it’s when employees log off to run errands, pick up kids, or do other tasks. And people are searching everywhere — even internationally — for work-life balance.

Cue the four-day workweek — a promising solution that seems to capture the working woes zeitgeist.

“A concern we frequently hear is there's no way the results from our six-month trials can be maintained, as the novelty eventually must wear off.” Dale Whelehan, CEO of 4 Day Week Global, the organization behind the study, said, “But here we are a year later with benefits only continuing to grow.”

READ ON

WEEKEND LISTS

3 things in travel

Jordi Lippe-McGraw

This family’s European Airbnb cost $4,000 less than it would've to send their kid to day camp in the US. So they moved to Zurich for the summer. And if the rest of their stay goes well, this transatlantic relocation could become an annual tradition.
The best seafood restaurant in every state, according to Yelp. Based in Florida? The shrimp at Skully's Low Country Boil is a hit. If you’re in Utah, customers are loving the cajun food at Neutral Ground Lounge.
Costco Travel helped a couple save $1,000 on their St. Lucia honeymoon. The resort revealed to the couple: “The moment you bring up Costco, we just bow out and say, look, we can't price match it, so just go ahead and book through Costco.”

3 things in health

Courtesy Dustin Giallanza

Tech exec reveals his “anti-aging” daily workout. Bryan Johnson is on a mission to reduce his “biological age.” He revealed that part of this plan includes workouts apparently designed to boost longevity: cardio, strength training, and more.
Astrosexology: studying sex in space. Nobody has ever had sex in space before (as far as we know, at least). But that could soon change. Researchers say this field of study is critical for human health and happiness.
Thousands of meat eaters suddenly have serious red meat allergies. Alpha-gal syndrome is caused by the lone-star tick. A single bite can cause the incurable allergy.

3 things in life

Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Parents are reportedly paying up to $4,000 to get their daughters into sororities. Admission is just as competitive as getting into a top college, one sorority consultant said. Consultants coach their clients on what to wear, how to behave, and more.
“I scored $140 worth of freebies and gifts on my birthday.” A dozen doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. A beauty sample from Sephora and Ulta. Hundreds of miles from Delta. Jordan Parker Erb shared her birthday journey and spreadsheet to redeem all her no-cost goodies.
A woman went viral after claiming she won the billion-dollar lottery. But her video was apparently untrue. And getting the jackpot actually requires a lengthy confirmation process that can take months and involve law enforcement officials.