A couple of years ago, the World Health Organization classified “workplace burnout” as a legitimate health issue a year after a professor at Stanford suggested over 150,000 Americans die on a yearly basis as a result of the “work” aspect of the “work-life balance” outweighing the latter to a fatal degree. There is now a growing push to change the American work week to a four-day week in an effort to curb work-related stress and health issues.

A new Icelandic study that took place over four years tracked 2,500 workers who worked for 35-36 hours a week. productivity remained the same or improved for the majority of workplaces, the study said. Participants worked at various places such as hospitals, offices, playschools and social service offices.