What if working less could help us live more — with greater energy, purpose, and joy?
In this eye-opening conversation, Ashish Kothari sits down with Karen Lowe, South Africa’s lead advocate for the 4-Day Workweek movement and founder of 4 Day Week South Africa, to explore how shorter work weeks are transforming productivity, culture, and well-being across the globe.
Karen shares how a passion project in Cape Town became the world’s fourth major pilot of the 4-Day Workweek — and the results are nothing short of revolutionary: higher revenue, lower burnout, better sleep, deeper engagement, and teams that flourish together.
This episode challenges the modern obsession with “more” and makes a powerful case for the 4-day week as both a science-backed productivity strategy and a human sustainability movement.
💡 Key Takeaways & Topics Covered:
Karen’s Origin Story:
How a curiosity about human well-being and burnout in South Africa led to running a national pilot for the 4-Day Workweek — now one of the most successful global case studies.
The 180-100 Model Explained:
100% pay, 80% time, 100% productivity — a simple but transformative framework for redesigning work around efficiency, not excess.
Flourishing Defined:
Flourishing isn’t just about happiness — it’s a felt sense of capacity, energy, connection, and purpose.
Time is our new currency, and how we spend it determines how much we truly thrive.
Workplaces Are Broken — Here’s How to Fix Them:
With only 20% of people thriving at work, Ashish and Karen discuss why most workplaces are “fundamentally broken” and how human-centered redesign can heal them.
Trust, Autonomy, and Agency:
Successful 4-day week cultures are built on permission — trusting employees to co-create boundaries, prioritize deep work, and use time wisely.
The South African Case Study:
Over 82% of organizations kept the 4-day workweek two years after the pilot.
Science Meets Flourishing:
German trials even measured lower cortisol in hair samples, proving physiological stress reduction.
From Burnout to Breakthrough:
A powerful story from Stellenbosch University shows how cutting hours from 5 days to 4 dropped absenteeism from 51 days to 4 — while improving service delivery and saving millions in costs.
Leadership Lessons for the Future of Work:
→ Productivity starts with permission
→ Recovery is doing
→ Trust and meaning drive output
→ Rest fuels creativity and innovation
Ashish’s Personal Reflection:
From his own experience at McKinsey working 70% time while increasing client impact, Ashish reflects on how less can truly be more — when done with purpose and trust.
🧭 Notable Quotes:
“Flourishing is a felt state — a sense of capacity, connection, and purpose that comes from using time deliberately.” – Karen Lowe
“We don’t need to fix work; we need to redesign it for humans.” – Ashish Kothari
“The 4-day week isn’t about working less — it’s about working better.” – Karen Lowe
🪴 About the Guest:
Karen Lowe is the Founder and Director of 4 Day Week South Africa, a nonprofit initiative driving the movement toward shorter, smarter, and more humane work weeks across the African continent. Her work bridges neuroscience, productivity research, and organizational psychology to help businesses thrive through human flourishing.
🔗 Connect:
Host: Ashish Kothari | Founder of Happiness Squad and author of Hardwired for Happiness
If today’s conversation inspired you to rethink how you work, share this episode with your team or leader.
Subscribe to the Flourishing Edge Podcast for weekly insights on how to lead, live, and flourish at the edge of what’s possible.
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Happiness Squad Website: https://happinesssquad.com/
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