Too many people in corporate America, working five days a week—Monday to Friday, 9 to 5—feels as ＿＿（26）＿＿ as brushing their teeth. But it wasn't always that way. In the late 1800s, a full-time manufacturing worker could easily spend 100 hours per week on the job. It wasn't until around 1940, after a concerted push from labor unions, that the 40-hour workweek became standard in the U.S. Now, almost a century later, there's growing momentum for an even more ＿＿（27）＿＿ schedule. Pilot studies on working four days a week have been conducted in countries including the U.K., Spain, Portugal, and South Africa. The findings suggest that shorter workweeks can help employees reduce burnout, mange stress, get more sleep and exercise, spend additional quality time with loved ones, and feel all-around happier and healthier. Employers also reap ＿＿（28）＿＿ , including lower rates of turnover and absenteeism. The study in Spain even tracked a drop in fuel emissions due to fewer commuting trips. Additional trials are underway in countries including Germany, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. Much of the research on shorter workweeks has been done by advocacy groups like 4 Day Week Global. Independent surveys, like one conducted by Gallup in 2022, sometimes show a more complex picture. In the Gallup survey, people who worked four days a week were slightly more likely to report feeling burned out, compared to those with traditional schedules—potentially because they had to ＿＿（29）＿＿ the same amount of work into less time. That result is in direct ＿＿（30）＿＿ with the results of pilot studies run by groups like 4 Day Week Global; in fact, the group identified burnout reduction as one of the largest benefits of a condensed schedule.