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Game Lounge’s experience putting the 4-day week in action
The idea of implementing a four-day work week is one that has gradually become more widespread over time, especially in tandem with the growing acceptance and actualisation of remote working.
There are a few cases in some countries that one can look at of the four-day week being adopted within certain sectors or by a few companies which opt into such a system. Several countries have carried out pilots or trial phases of four-day weeks, including Canada, Australia, South Africa, Germany, and Brazil, which evidently makes this a concept that has spread globally across continents.
Malta and the 4-day week
While discussions of implementing the four-day work week have taken place in Malta, notably during late 2025 when the Opposition pitched the idea of the four-day work week to be adopted by the public sector, the government ultimately ruled it out, as Finance Minister Clyde Caruana had remarked that it was “out of the question for now”. Caruana’s reasoning primarily stemmed from concerns regarding the financial burden of implementing such a measure, as well as concerns related to productivity.
The Malta Chamber of Commerce, in reference to the proposal of a four-day work week in Malta, had stated that the implementation of such an initiative is “a multifaceted issue that requires careful and open discussion”. It continued that the interests of employers, employees, and the broader economy could only be safeguarded through thorough and objective analysis, adding that such proposals should be presented in detail in order to allow for comprehensive evaluation and feedback.
It stated that shifting to a four-day work week would have significant negative effects in several key areas, “including productivity, output, labour costs, and international competitiveness”. The Chamber referred to sectors which rely on physical presence or high hourly output, such as manufacturing, hospitality, and health, and commented that they would face immediate challenges.
Game Lounge’s 4-day week trials
Game Lounge, based in Malta, ran a pilot of the four-day work week from July to August in 2024, and repeated the trial in 2025. While speaking with Money Magazine about how Game Lounge has trialled the four-day week, CEO Richard Dennys said that balance is not simply just about the number of hours worked, but is rather about how that time is spent.
Dennys said that such an initiative is “fantastic for staff retention,” and added that employees have many positive stories about what they do with their Fridays. He further commented that “people are more motivated to bring their best selves to work” when they feel valued and trusted.
Putting an emphasis on transparency when conducting such trials by framing them as structured experiments with clear metrics and also gauging employee sentiment is of paramount importance, as this further builds trust among workers and employers. The intent behind the experiment was to see if a shorter working week could potentially help employees to recharge while still maintaining, or perhaps boosting, their productivity throughout the trial.
During the 2024 trial, surveys were conducted in order to measure its impact, and the feedback received had been overwhelmingly positive, with teams reporting that they felt more energised and engaged while also having experienced overall improvements in their well-being. Productivity metrics also showed a positive trend, with the data confirming that putting greater emphasis on the quality of time at work rather than the number of hours worked could deliver great results.
Need for further data
A credible and visible pilot such as what has been conducted by Game Lounge could prove to be the balanced path needed for further potential experimentation on a wider scale in Maltese industry, where appropriate and applicable.
Having said that, while the results were promising, it is also important to note that the trials carried out by Game Lounge have been over the relatively short time periods, and further long-term data would be ideal in order to provide a greater understanding of the overarching impact of the four-day work week on productivity and well-being across longer time periods and different environmental as well as working conditions.
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