@inproceedings{8048416db80948348ca3defec0fecd1a,
title = "IS A COMPRESSED WORKWEEK VIABLE FOR WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN THE IRISH CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? AN EXPLORATORY STUDY INTO A FOUR-DAY WEEK",
abstract = "The concept of the compressed workweek (CWW) is not a new phenomenon, as research has shown that it improves work-life balance and can reduce mental and physical health problems. On the contrary, the construction industry is renowned as being a notoriously overworked sector plagued by presenteeism. This research aims to identify if a CWW (four-day) is viable for work-life balance in the Irish construction industry. Taking a mixed methods research approach, six semi-structured individual interviews were undertaken with the emerging themes being analysed thematically combined with a questionnaire survey distributed to industry professionals and analysed using statistical review techniques. The findings showed that many in the workforce have a range of health problems from working long hours with a consequent detrimental effect on their productivity. People have an unsatisfactory work-life balance in a highly pressurised industry, and a CWW is viewed as a highly desired solution to address this problem. The contribution of this exploratory study is that it demonstrates that a four-day CWW is viable and can improve the lifestyle and work-life balance of the Irish construction industry workforce.",
keywords = "Ireland, four-day workweek, health, human resource management, safety and wellbeing, work-life balance",
author = "Ciar{\'a}n Fitzpatrick and Curran, {Michael R.} and Daniel Clarke-Hagan and Spillane, {John P.} and Bradley, {James G.}",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Association of Researchers in Construction Management; 40th Annual Conference on Association of Researchers in Construction Management, ARCOM 2024 ; Conference date: 02-09-2024 Through 04-09-2024",
year = "2024",
language = "English",
series = "Association of Researchers in Construction Management, ARCOM 2024 - Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference",
publisher = "Association of Researchers in Construction Management",
pages = "309--318",
editor = "Craig Thomson and Neilson, {Christopher J}",
booktitle = "Association of Researchers in Construction Management, ARCOM 2024 - Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference",
}