Sri Lanka has simply launched a 4‑day workweek—to not increase work‑life stability, however as a result of the struggle in Iran is threatening to empty its petrol tanks dry.
The federal government has declared each Wednesday a vacation for many public establishments in a determined bid to slash petrol use, as struggle within the Center East threatens important oil shipments by way of the Strait of Hormuz.
All state establishments, together with faculties and universities, will shift to a four-day work week, beginning this Wednesday. Important providers like hospitals will keep open, however everybody else is being informed to remain house, go online the place doable, and use as little gasoline as they’ll.
Even the personal sector is being requested to comply with the mandate, too.
Sri Lanka authorities has declared Wednesdays a vacation from 18 March 2026 for Authorities workers, faculties, universities and courts, the Commissioner Common of Important Providers says.
Non-public establishments have additionally been requested to comply with, whereas all Authorities occasions are… pic.twitter.com/mmAp5EKjSO
— Sri Lanka Tweet 🇱🇰 (@SriLankaTweet) March 16, 2026
Officers say Sri Lanka has roughly simply six weeks of gasoline reserves left. That’s why they’ve rolled out the 4‑day week virtually in a single day, suspended public ceremonies, and launched a Nationwide Gasoline Go to ration how a lot petrol folks can purchase. And so they’re not the one nation introducing these emergency measures to keep away from operating out of gasoline.
There’s a sample value naming right here. The three main crises since 2020—the pandemic, the 2022 European power shock, now the Iran struggle—have every pushed governments to succeed in for a similar lever: ship folks house, lower the commute, compress the week. And each time, some portion of that change proves everlasting. Staff alter. Productiveness holds. And the five-day, in-office normal quietly loses somewhat extra of its declare to inevitability. Go searching Asia to see how Sri Lanka is much from alone.
Pakistan, the Philippines, and different Asian nations are welcoming a 4-day week and distant work
Throughout Asia, governments are quietly slicing working days, commutes, and non‑important journey in a bid to stretch gasoline provides so far as doable.
Pakistan has already carried out a four-day week for some authorities places of work and shut faculties, in addition to imposing a ban on in-person conferences. In the meantime, all private and non-private companies are being mandated to ask 50% of their workforce to do business from home.
The Philippines can be adopting a four-day work week for presidency employees, and urged staff extra usually to do business from home the place doable. Vietnam can be telling residents to remain house, in addition to to trip bikes, carpool, and use public transport, and prohibit private automobile utilization.
Different Asian nations are taking quirkier energy-saving steps. In Thailand, the federal government is urging workplace staff to ditch fits for brief‑sleeved shirts so buildings can dial down the air‑conditioning. It’s additionally referred to as on folks to take the steps as an alternative of elevators.
Myanmar is limiting personal vehicles on alternate days. Bangladesh has launched early Ramadan holidays and India has requested customers to not panic, as a result of hoarding—or turning to the black market—will solely make the state of affairs worse.
The place the 4‑day work week is right here to remain
Whereas these emergency measures are non permanent, elsewhere, the 4‑day work week has been launched below far much less dramatic circumstances—and infrequently with surprisingly constructive outcomes.
The U.Okay. ran the world’s largest 4‑day week pilot in 2022, involving dozens of firms that paid employees 100% of their wage for 80% of the time in alternate for a dedication to take care of efficiency. A 12 months later, 89% of collaborating companies had been nonetheless working a 4‑day week and simply over half had made the change everlasting—citing greater revenues, higher retention, and workers who had been much less burned out and extra loyal. And lots of different nations have been trialling shorter weeks throughout dozens of firms with sturdy early suggestions on productiveness and high quality of life.
Throughout Europe and past, the concept is slowly shifting from a uncommon perk to a mainstream coverage experiment. Belgium handed laws permitting staff to compress a full‑time job into 4 longer days, the UAE shifted its public sector to a 4‑and‑a‑half‑day week, and even firms that don’t wish to make everlasting adjustments have launched “recharge days” and Summer time Fridays.
Sri Lanka’s emergency measures could also be lifted the second oil flows freely once more. However the precedent—{that a} shorter week is a coverage software, not only a perk—is changing into established throughout three continents and counting.
