Four-Day Work Week Experiments and Their Impact on Employee Mental Health and Organizational Performance in Educational Institutions in India

four-day work week, faculty mental health, higher education, India, Job Demands–Resources theory, organizational performance, work-time reduction, burnout

The intensification of academic labour and escalating faculty burnout in Indian higher education have prompted renewed interest in alternative work-time arrangements. Drawing upon the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study proposes a conceptual framework examining how four-day work week experiments influence faculty mental health and organizational performance in Indian educational institutions. Despite robust international evidence demonstrating that income-preserving work-time reductions yield significant improvements in burnout, job satisfaction, and self-reported productivity, empirical inquiry remains strikingly absent in the context of India's higher education sector, where faculty routinely endure extended working hours, heavy administrative burdens, and blurred work–life boundaries. This paper synthesizes findings from large-scale international trials—including the six-country study encompassing 141 organizations and 2,896 employees, the UK pilot involving 61 companies, and longitudinal Scandinavian interventions—to contextualize the potential benefits and implementation challenges of shorter working weeks for Indian academics. We develop a set of testable hypotheses positing that four-day work week adoption is positively associated with faculty psychological well-being, work ability, and sleep quality, and indirectly enhances institutional performance through reduced absenteeism and improved talent retention. The proposed mixedmethods research design integrates longitudinal surveys with in-depth qualitative interviews across public and private universities in India. By bridging the gap between global work-time reduction research and the specific institutional realities of Indian higher education, this study contributes to HRM theory and offers evidence-based
policy recommendations for academic leaders and regulatory bodies.