Exploring the impact of a four-day workweek on sustainable people management: a systematic review of the literature

Purpose Sustainability, based on the principles of sustainable development, is supported through human resource management practices that enable the attraction, development and efficient management of organizations' employees. These sustainable practices bring various benefits to organizations, the environment and their employees, so should consider how employees are treated and how their well-being is promoted through actions that value their health, development, work–life balance and the provision of adequate working conditions. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review. We identified 644 records from the past 52 years related to the four-day workweek and performed a two-step analysis. From these records, we selected 104 organizational-focused papers and analyzed them using VOSViewer. We categorized this initial sample into 10 clusters across five dimensions: societal, environmental, organizational, family and individual. In the second step, we thoroughly examined eight papers to understand the impact of this work arrangement on people management. Our analysis revealed that the primary effects of a four-day workweek are improved satisfaction, productivity and work–life balance. Findings Findings show that four-day workweek is mainly studied at a macro-level, and it still lacking research at the organizational level, namely on the people management topic. However, it was possible to identify elements that are considered fundamental to take into account for the success of organizations that intend to adopt this working method, namely employee satisfaction, production levels and the balance between their personal and professional life. Practical implications The study’s development is crucial for academia and entrepreneurship, serving as a foundation for future research on the impact of the four-day workweek on people management. The detailed characterization of scientific documents and identification of the most relevant aspects in pertinent areas provides a foundation for understanding and exploring this work model. It underscores the importance of considering factors such as satisfaction, productivity and work–life balance, exposing different results obtained in various scientific productions and offering a detailed view of the existing literature on this topic. Originality/value Findings show that four-day workweek is mainly studied at a macro-level, and it is still lacking research at the organizational level, namely on the people management topic. However, it was possible to identify elements that are considered fundamental to take into account for the success of organizations that intend to adopt this working method, namely employee satisfaction, production levels, and the balance between their personal and professional life.