The four-day working week

Several companies around the world have experimented with a four-day working week, in which employees work 32 hours instead of 40 for the same pay. Supporters argue that staff who have an extra day off return to work more rested and, (8) ______, more productive. In one widely reported trial, most of the participating companies chose to keep the shorter week after the trial ended, (9) ______ that the benefits outweighed the costs.

Critics, however, warn that the model does not suit every industry. A hospital, for example, cannot simply close for one day a week; it would need to hire more staff, (10) ______ would increase its costs considerably. Even supporters admit that each organisation has to find its own version of the idea.