Successful reduced workweek pilot

Santo Domingo.- The Ministry of Labor and the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) presented the successful results of a pilot program for a reduced workweek, showing a positive impact on productivity, job performance, and the quality of life of participating workers.

The pilot, involving 492 employees from six organizations, reduced weekly working hours by an average of 15%. Despite the reduction, business objectives were always met by 91% of participants and almost always by the remaining 9%. This indicates that the reduction in hours did not negatively affect the strategic or operational goals of the departments involved. Furthermore, 96% of supervisors reported not needing additional workers to maintain usual functions.

PUCMM’s technical evaluation revealed that 95.3% of workers experienced an increase in their quality of life, and 93.8% found the additional time useful for other activities. Workers also reported a 7.6% decrease in stress and an 88.6% improvement in work-life balance.

“These results demonstrate that it is possible to achieve high productivity while enhancing workers’ quality of life. This initiative reinforces our commitment to creating more humane, efficient, and sustainable working conditions,” said Luis Miguel De Camps, Minister of Labor, during the presentation.

The findings were presented by Professor Julissa Pichardo, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences at PUCMM, and Dr. Pura Martínez, associate researcher. Nearly 70% of supervisors observed that pilot participants were less stressed, more productive, and more engaged in their work. Additionally, 70.5% of workers used the extra time to spend quality moments with loved ones, and 42.4% engaged in recreational activities benefiting their physical and mental well-being.

Notably, more than half of supervisors observed better outcomes in terms of productivity, job satisfaction, and performance among workers participating in the reduced workweek compared to those on a regular schedule.