Reducing the working week to four days would help to combat work-related stress and the mental ill-health associated with overwork or lack of work, one of Britain's leading doctors says.
Speaking to the Guardian, the UK Faculty of Health president professor John Ashton said switching from a working week of five days to four would help reduce unemployment, allow people to spend more time with their families or exercising and address medical conditions such as high blood pressure.
"When you look at the way we lead our lives, the stress that people are under, the pressure on time and sickness absence, [work-related] mental health is clearly a major issue. We should be moving towards a four-day week because the problem we have in the world of work is you've got a proportion of the population who are working too hard and a proportion that haven't got jobs", Ashton said.
In what he described as "a maldistribution of work", Ashton called for a four-day week in order for individuals to enjoy their lives and spend more time with their families.
"The lunch-hour has gone; people just have a sandwich at their desk and carry on working," he added.
"If you've got two people in a couple working, they need to be able to work in such a way that they can spend time together with their children. It's a nightmare."
According to a YouGov survey carried out earlier this year 57% UK workers were in favour of a four-day working week, while almost three quarters (71%) believed it would make Britain a happier nation.
Earlier this week, changes to flexible working rules were introduced, extending the right to request to all employees where it was previously limited to just parents and carers.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) said while a four-day working week would not work for everyone, many workers would welcome the move.
"Too few people in the UK are able to work the hours they want and need. Far too many still work part-time when they want a full-time job, leaving them struggling to make ends meet," TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said.
"But there's also a growing problem with excessive working hours, with millions of employees under real pressure as they attempt to balance work with their everyday lives. And despite this week's change in the law it's still too easy for employers to block flexible working requests, however nicely a worker asks.
"A four-day week won't work for everyone, but at the moment it's way beyond the grasp of many who would like to change the hours they work. The new right to request flexible working should be strengthened so that those who need shorter hours have a better chance of getting it," she concluded.
