The UK four-day workweek trial involved 3,300 employees from 70 companies, who worked four days a week with full pay.

"Studies and trials on the 4-day workweek have been conducted in the UK, US, Ireland, and Australia, showing benefits such as increased revenue, productivity, and decreased absenteeism and turnover."

70 UK companies participated in the 4-day workweek trial.

The 4-day workweek trial was conducted in the UK.

Iceland has successfully implemented a 4-day workweek experiment, with a study by the British research center Autonomy in 2021 calling it a 'stunning success'.

91% of professionals prefer a 4-day workweek, making it the most desirable perk when applying for a job.

The UK's four-day workweek trial, involving 70 companies and over 3,300 workers, started on 6 June, with participants working 80% of their normal hours without a reduction in pay.

The 4 Day Week Global organization was founded by Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart.

The 4-day workweek study involved 3,300 employees from 70 companies.

The UK's 4-day workweek test involved 3,300 employees from 70 companies, who worked four days a week with full pay.

Similar four-day workweek experiments have been conducted in countries such as Spain, Iceland, the United States, Canada, with Australia and New Zealand expected to join.

Companies in the UK are starting to adopt a 4-day workweek as part of a large-scale experiment.

The UK began a 4-day workweek pilot scheme in June 2022, involving 61 companies across various industries, which lasted until December 2022.

The negative outcome reported in the 4-day Week Pilot Trail was that 4% of participants are definitely not continuing.

Companies have reported benefits from adopting a four-day workweek, with over 90% of companies in a UK trial choosing to continue or plan to adopt the policy.

The UK four-day workweek trial involved 3,300 employees from 70 companies, who worked four days a week with full pay.

Title:

Content: The authorities of Germany and the Dominican Republic from February 1 launched a pilot program to transfer employees to a reduced working week.
In 2019, such an idea was put forward by the then head of the Russian government, Dmitry Medvedev.
What they think about the transition to four-day in Russia and the world - in the material RTVI.
In Russia
Yaroslav Nilov, Head of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs
Commenting on the possibility of transferring Russians to a four-day working week, Yaroslav Nilov recalled that this initiative in 2019 was made by the then Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.
The deputy called the initiative implemented, but not in the near future and not for all spheres and industries.
“For someone there is already a four-day period, especially after the pandemic, after the practice of remote, mixed employment, we have workers who have not a five-day period, but a four-day period, and someone has a three-day period.
The most important thing is that there is no need to impose anything hard in the sphere of labor, no need to introduce strict regulations, no amendments.
Everything should be natural, synergistic and evolutionary.
This is a multifaceted issue, and the labor market should itself line up - taking into account new technologies, artificial intelligence, optimization solutions, "he said.
According to him, the task of reducing the working week is to make people rest more without reducing labor productivity and wages.
“It should be beneficial for both the employee and the employer.
If you shift the four-day period to the employer, this will lead to higher prices, to the closure of enterprises, and an increase in unemployment.
We don't need that.
If you do not shift, then this can lead to a loss in the salary of employees, especially since there is a piecework form of employment - payment depends on the volume of services provided or goods produced, "Nilov explained.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council
In 2019, former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced the possibility of switching to a four-day working week during his speech at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization.
“Technological progress leads to a reduction not only of jobs, but also of working time, to the expansion of leisure.
It is very likely that the future lies in a four-day working week as the basis of a social and labor contract, "Medvedev said.
Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister
After Dmitry Medvedev ’ s statement, Tatyana Golikova said that the government is “analyzing the situation ” in the labor market as part of a discussion of the possible introduction of a four-day working week.
“These four days are just a possible response to the changing world of challenges, when some professions will die, others will come to replace them, ” she said.
According to Golikova, as a result of global digitalization in the future, the need for a large number of labor resources to be occupied “in a particular workplace ” may disappear.
She also noted that in implementing the transition to a shorter working week, it will be necessary to take into account the level of wages and social guarantees.
“What kind of salary they will receive: the same as when they were occupied for five days or a little more, or in a reduced form, the question remains open here, ” she explained.
Anton Kotyakov, Minister of Labour and Social Protection
Speaking about the possibility of shortening the working week, Anton Kotyakov said in 2021 that he considers the idea of switching to a four-day schedule irrelevant.
“Given the flexible forms of employment that we have now provided in the Labor Code, the need to switch to a four-day working week is mandatory for today is irrelevant, ” he said.
According to the minister, thanks to the spread of remote employment, employers have the opportunity to form a flexible schedule.
“And if necessary, you can do four-day work in the office, and three-day, and a couple of days with a certain mode of remote work, you can work because of the city, ” he said.
Valery Fadeev, Head of the Presidential Council on Civil Society Development and Human Rights
In 2021, Valery Fadeev said that he has nothing against reducing the working week, but recalled that the salary of more than half of working Russians is about 27 thousand rubles per month, and urged to think about increasing this amount.
“Work has come to be seen as a burden and as a yoke.
But in fact, work is almost the main thing in a person ’ s life.
A person should live for the sake of family, for the sake of children, for the sake of doing something in life.
Work should bring joy to man.
I can ’ t say that we have such a situation now in our country that everyone can find a job in joy.
Unfortunately, this is not the case, ” he stressed.
Mikhail Shmakov, Head of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions
Answering a question about the transfer of companies to a four-day schedule, Mikhail Shmakov said in 2023 that representatives of the trade union movement supported the idea of reducing the working week in Russia to 36 hours only while maintaining wages for employees.
At the same time, he suggested that in the conditions of a shortage in the labor market, this idea may not be relevant.
Svetlana Bessarab, member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs
In November 2023, Svetlana Bessarab promised to make a proposal to switch to a 36-hour working week after the completion of the military operation in Ukraine.
“I can promise that after the end of the SVO and our victory, I will make a proposal to reduce the working week to 36 hours without reducing wages.
This is how rural women now work: they have the right to a shorter working week with the same salary.
And, as practice has shown, we do not lose anything in productivity, ” she said.
In August 2023, Bessarab called for “talking seriously ” about the transition to a four-day working week.
In particular, she drew attention to the fact that labor productivity has increased many times thanks to the introduction of digital technologies, while workers continue to be treated the same way as 50 years ago.
In the world
Iceland
In 2021, the British research center Autonomy called the results of an experiment to shorten the working week in Iceland a “stunning success ”.
As part of this experiment, the working week of 2.5 thousand municipal employees was reduced by 4-5 hours, and those who worked five days a week had another day off.
Autonomy, in particular, praised performance and service delivery in most of the workplaces tested, where employees began to show a higher level of enthusiasm and also began to get more pleasure from the work process.
“As a result, about 86% of the working population will be able to switch to a reduced working schedule or demand a reduction in working hours, ” the study says.
Belgium
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Cros said in 2022 that citizens of the country can require their employers to transfer to a reduced working week.
In case of refusal to provide them with such an opportunity, the employer must justify his decision in writing.
“The goal is to allow people and companies to more freely manage their working hours.
If you compare our country with other countries, you will notice that we often act much less dynamically, ” he said.
Britannia
The largest experiment on the transfer of workers to a reduced working week began in Britain in June 2022.
As part of the experiment, 3,300 employees from 70 companies were given the opportunity to work four days a week with full pay.
For the participants of the experiment, a “100: 80: 100 ” model was developed, according to which 80% of working time is paid at 100%, and employees in return agree to show 100% productivity.
“We will study how project participants respond to the extra day off in terms of stress and burnout, life and work satisfaction, as well as overall health, sleep quality, energy expenditure, range of movements and a host of other aspects, ” explained Boston College sociology professor Juliet Shore, who leads the project ’ s research team.
In 2023, sociologists at the University of Cambridge recognized the results of the experiment as successful.
In their study, they pointed out that employees who worked four days a week had significantly reduced levels of stress and illness, as well as increased levels of loyalty to employers.
At the same time, the revenues of the companies that decided to take part in the experiment did not show a significant decrease, and 23 of them even noted a slight increase, the average figure of which was 1.4%.
Spain
In October 2023, a commission of independent experts evaluated the results of a test experiment for the introduction of a four-day working week in the Spanish city of Valencia, in which 360 thousand employees took part.
Experts pointed to a reduction in stress levels, as well as an improvement in the atmosphere by reducing the number of vehicles on the streets of the city.
Representatives of the tourism sector reported that during the experiments, they had increased the flow of customers, while retail chains noted a decrease in sales.
“We want the city to be friendly, healthy and take care of people.
We want people to work to live, not to live to work, ” said the mayor of the city, Joan Ribeau, at the start of the experiment.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic was the first Latin American country to experiment with a four-day work week.
The experiment, which began on February 1, 2024, will last six months.
According to the government, it will last six months – for three months, employees will work on a reduced schedule and receive 100% of their wages, and for the next three months a special commission will collect and analyze information to understand how this change has affected the country ’ s economy.
The experiment was initiated by the Minister of Labor Luis Miguel de Camps.
He stressed that he considers the reduction of the working week not only an innovation in the labor market, but also a significant step towards a more harmonious and humane society.
“Priority is given to people, improving health and well-being, and promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly productivity, ” the official added.
Germany
In September 2023, Germany opened the reception of applications from organizations ready to take part in the experiment to shorten the working week.
Despite the statement of the Minister of Finance of the country Christian Lindner, who questioned the possibility of switching to a four-day working week, 45 companies in test mode transferred their employees to the new schedule from February 1, 2024.
German authorities have agreed to an experiment with a shortened working week amid a crisis associated with rising inflation and a shortage of trained personnel.
As Bloomberg notes, these factors led to the fact that German workers began to actively seek higher wages, as well as to fight for the flexibility and independence that they received during the pandemic.

"Studies and trials on the 4-day workweek have been conducted in the UK, US, Ireland, and Australia, showing benefits such as increased revenue, productivity, and decreased absenteeism and turnover."

Title:

Content: The final results show that most companies will not return to the five-day working week, and have the advantages of rising revenue performance and a sharp reduction in turnover, the biggest change is a reduction in the proportion of employees tired, and an extra day of leave can be more balanced between life and work.
The project was carried out by researchers from the non-profit organization 4 Day Week Global, UK think tank Autonomy, Boston College, Cambridge and Oxford University, with 61 organizations and nearly 3,000 employees across industries such as banking, education, IT and retail.
Companies can choose to let employees take an extra day off or reduce their working hours to 80% of the original, but the salary and work output must be the same as the original standard.
As a result, 56 of the 61 companies were willing to maintain the three-day weekend, and 18 of them were willing to make the policy permanent.
Through this trial, up to 71% of employees have reduced their burnout rate, 39% of employees have been relieved of stress, and the probability of employees taking temporary leave has dropped by 65%. For employers, the revenue of some enterprises during the trial period has increased by more than one-third over the same period last year, and employee efficiency has improved.
The UK trial is similar to the results of smaller trials conducted in the US, Ireland and Australia in December, which have previously shown a rise in revenue and staff productivity, as well as a decline in absenteeism and turnover.
# 3 days off week # turnover rate # burnout # business # 4 days work

70 UK companies participated in the 4-day workweek trial.

Title:

Content: Four days has become a reality.
In the UK conducted an important experiment – details
The length of the work week was significantly reduced.
In the UK, workers are transferred to a four-day working week. / Photo: Collage: Today
In the UK, a large-scale experiment has begun on the introduction of a four-day working week.
About 3.3 thousand employees from 70 companies will take part in the pilot program.
It is expected that the reduction of working days will increase the productivity of workers.
This is reported by Sky News.
Advertisement
The experiment involved companies from different industries: for example, the banking sector and the hotel business.
They must continue to pay workers 100% of their wages, provided that they maintain maximum productivity.
The duration of the experiment is 6 months.
During this time, the organizers of the study – 4 Day Week Global in partnership with the analytical center Autonomy and the campaign 4 Day Week UK – should measure the impact of reducing the number of working days on productivity and well-being of staff.
Ed Siegel, CEO of Charity Bank, said: “The concept of a five-day workweek of the 20th century is no longer appropriate for the business of the 21st century. ”
The organizers of the experiment believe that after the coronavirus pandemic, the approach to the length of the working week should change.
Advertisement
Why we need to reduce the working week
A four-day work week increases worker productivity.
This was proved in 2019 in the Japanese division of Microsoft and transferred employees to a new work schedule.
Friday was an extra weekend.
At the same time, people were not reduced wages and did not calculate days from vacation.
During the experiment, it turned out that the efficiency of workers who rest more increased by as much as 40 percent.
The company also saved money.
Because I started to spend 20 percent less electricity and print half as much paper.
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The 4-day workweek trial was conducted in the UK.

Iceland has successfully implemented a 4-day workweek experiment, with a study by the British research center Autonomy in 2021 calling it a 'stunning success'.

91% of professionals prefer a 4-day workweek, making it the most desirable perk when applying for a job.

Title:

Content: From education to employment

Four day week – now more important to professionals than work socials

Say good-bye to work culture: Three quarters of professionals (71%) have stated that they would be willing to give up work socials and relationships with colleagues, in favour of a 4-day working week.

The findings come from a recent poll by leading recruiter Robert Walters, of 3,000+ working professionals – and highlights the ‘not-so appealing side’ of the 4-day week to employers, with office relationships taking the biggest hit.

Chris Poole – Managing Director of Robert Walters UK, comments:

“Workplaces have only just turned a corner and started to see more faces in the office – with that has come a burst of energy, collaboration, creativity, and productivity. It is a slight kick-in-the-teeth to hear that a progressive well-being initiative such as a 4-day week could have such a detrimental impact on workplace culture and business relationships.

“With the trials of 4-days being so new to many organisations, the long-term impact is hard to ascertain – but with 71% of professionals willing to forego socials and business relationships, companies should be mindful that poor company culture already costs the UK economy upwards of £20bn a year.

“As with what we experienced with remote working and then the move to hybrid, any change in the workplace brings about its challenges – and a 4-day week will be no different, business leaders need to tread with caution.”

Whilst professionals would give up the social side of their working lives, only 13% are inclined to forego hybrid work arrangements, and only 7% would sacrifice training opportunities in favour of less working days.

Entitlement at its Best?

According to the findings from Robert Walters, a staggering 91% of professionals would be keen for their employer to implement a 4-day week. In fact, a 4-day week now tops the poll on most desirable perks when applying for a job – with 49% stating that this would appeal to them most on a job description, followed by the ability to work from anywhere (35%).

With half of professionals who would like a 4-day week expecting their full pay to remain the same, debates have begun on whether the post-pandemic workforce are ‘the most entitled yet’ – with fewer professionals feeling responsibility for the financial health or stability of their employer.

Just 15% of professionals stated that they would take a 10-15% pay increase over the option of a 4-day week, and it seems office-based soft perks such as work socials or complimentary lunch or breakfasts, are less appealing in the face of fewer working days – with just 1% stating that they would opt for this over a 4-day working week.

Chris adds:

“It is absolutely right that workplaces should be held more accountable for the wellbeing of their employees, however professionals need to be considerate to the fact this responsibility goes both ways, and they have a duty to contribute to the success of a business, especially in this current period of economic uncertainty.”

The Hidden Data

Earlier this year the independent trail of 60+ companies and around 2,900 employees undertaking a 4-day week concluded – with many highlighting this as a resounding success.

However, when this data is combined with findings from the Robert Walters poll, it seems that possibly only one side of the picture has been painted, as a result it’s also important to consider the potentially negative outcomes of a change in working days.

Key findings from the 4-day Week Pilot Trail include:

  • Overall working hours only reduced by 4 hours – falling short of the 32 it was meant to achieve
  • 28% reported either working more hours, or no change to their 5-days a week hours
  • 49% reported no change in the typical amount of overtime they do – further 17% reported doing more overtime
  • 22% reported an increase in burnout-symptoms
  • 15% reported an increase in sleeping difficulties – further 45% stated that their sleeping quality hadn’t improved/changed significantly
  • 36% reported no-change to work-life balance – further 10% reported a decrease
  • 26% reported no change to work-ability – with 19% reporting a decrease
  • Just 2% stated workload had decreased – 20% reported an increase, and 78% reported no-change
  • 36% reported work-intensity had increased
  • 42% reported an increase in complexity of their work

Chris adds:

“Highlighting this data is by no means a way of pointing out that a 4-day week cannot work. Just as with every kind of trial, a balanced view of the results needs to be provided to assist us in understanding what does and doesn’t work. There is definitely a place for the 4-day working week in business but maybe it’s not the silver-bullet to increase productivity and improved wellbeing, as first thought.”

Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in Employability, Social impact, Work and leadership

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The UK's four-day workweek trial, involving 70 companies and over 3,300 workers, started on 6 June, with participants working 80% of their normal hours without a reduction in pay.

Title:

Content: Finally, the four-day work week trial is here

  • Marie Claire is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
  • Progressive change is coming

    Britain is officially trialling the four-day work week and I’m thrilled. No, I’m not a skiver, I just believe that flexible working is the key to making life work, and the next step is the four-day workweek.

    Organised by 4 Day Week Global, the world’s biggest trial of the four-day work week began in the UK on Monday 6 June. The six-month-long trial will see 70 companies – totalling more than 3,300 workers – test out the four-day week (working 80% of their normal hours) with, it’s critical to note, no reduction in pay.

    Marie Claire has long advocated flexible working rights, supporting writer Anna Whitehouse with her Flex Appeal campaign, which started in 2019 when she was denied flexible working and told it would ‘open the floodgates’ to others seeking it.

    But for the majority, it was Covid-19 that truly changed attitudes towards the workplace, because the pandemic had so profoundly affected people’s working lives.

    Prioritise flexible working

    In 2020 Marie Claire‘s first Future of Work collaboration with LinkedIn explored how the British population felt about the prospect of returning to the pre-pandemic routine.

    The message was clear: employers need to prioritise flexible working going forward, because we realised we could work from home successfully (and that was during an unimaginably stressful period).

    The future of work

    The believed benefits of the four-day working week include:

    • More productivity through greater focus
    • Drive to adopt more efficient processes
    • Greater mental health through more time spent with family or on passions

    As with all trials, it’s important to recognise the potential negative effects – less manageable workloads, less breaks and longer hours, but I hope this pioneering movement will help shape the future of work for the better.

    Work-life balance

    It is currently impossible to have a work-life balance when we work five days and have two days off. Where is the logic? In my opinion, the four-day working week is less about motivating me to work harder – I already work hard, thank you. The four-day working week is actually about giving people enough free time to be healthy, happy and fulfilled.

    Reading now

    Popular Life stories

The 4 Day Week Global organization was founded by Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart.

Title:

Content: Ina Opperman
Business Journalist
3 minute read
26 Feb 2023
10:00 am

Largest 4-day week trial results good news for future of work

Ina Opperman

Will a 4-day workweek work? It seems that employees and employers are happy.

The results of the world’s largest 4-day week trial is good news for the future of work, with new research showing that these results are largely in line with existing global evidence, further demonstrating the benefits of reduced-hour, output-focused working.

The pilot programme conducted in the UK by non-profit 4 Day Week Global, the UK’s 4-Day Week Campaign and think tank Autonomy, guided over 60 companies and almost 3 000 workers through a six-month trial of a 4-day week, with no loss of pay for workers.

This brings the global campaign’s total number of completed pilot participants to 91 companies and approximately 3 500 employees. Lead researcher, professor Juliet Schor of Boston College, says overall results show that almost every organisation will stick to a 4-day week after the trial, with 91% definitely continuing or planning to continue and another 4% leaning towards continuing. Only 4% of participants are definitely not continuing.

Participating companies rated their overall experience of the trials at an average of 8.5/10, with business productivity and business performance each scoring 7.5/10. Revenue increased by 35% over the trial periods when compared to similar periods from the previous year, while hiring increased and absenteeism decreased.

ALSO READ: 28 SA companies to implement 4-day work week on 1 March

Improved employee wellbeing and health

During the trial it was also found that the health and wellbeing of employees also improved, with significant increases observed in physical and mental health, time spent exercising and overall life and job satisfaction. Rates of stress, burnout and fatigue all decreased along with problems with sleep.

Even the environmental outcomes were encouraging, with commuting time falling across the full sample by a half hour per week.

Schor says she observed an encouraging consistency in the data, with results largely steady across workplaces of varying sizes, demonstrating this is an innovation which works for many types of organisations.

“There are also some interesting differences. We found that employees in non-profits and professional services had a larger average increase in time spent exercising, while those in construction and manufacturing enjoyed the largest reductions in burnout and sleep problems.”

Behavioural scientist and new CEO of 4-Day Week Global, Dr Dale Whelehan, explained the sample produced interesting differences in gender outcomes. “While men and women benefit from a 4-day week, women’s experience is generally better for burnout, life and job satisfaction, mental health and reduced commuting time.”

ALSO READ: 4-day work week pilot so successful, all participating companies sticking to it

4-day workweek also balances home tasks

Encouragingly, the research also showed that the burden of non-work duties appears to be balancing out, with more men taking on a greater share of housework and childcare.

Co-founder and MD of 4-Day Week Global, Charlotte Lockhart, says her team is delighted to be expanding the arguments in favour of a 4-day week with this new world-class academic research. “We look forward to adding our Australasian pilot results to this data set in the coming weeks and our European, South African, Brazilian and North American results in the coming months.”

4-Day Week Global was founded in New Zealand by entrepreneurs and philanthropists, Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart, following the world-renowned success of their pioneering trial of the 4-day week in Perpetual Guardian.

Their approach is based on the 100-80-100™ model designed by Lockhart alongside the Perpetual Guardian trial in 2018. That means 100% of the pay, for 80% of the time, in exchange for a commitment to deliver 100% of the output.

4-Day Week Global’s ambition is to make a 4-day week the new default and reduced working time the new standard.

Which company in New Zealand implemented 4-day workweek?

The 4-day workweek study involved 3,300 employees from 70 companies.

The UK's 4-day workweek test involved 3,300 employees from 70 companies, who worked four days a week with full pay.

Similar four-day workweek experiments have been conducted in countries such as Spain, Iceland, the United States, Canada, with Australia and New Zealand expected to join.

Title:

Content: The biggest experience of its kind in the world.
Britain tests work 4 days a week – Al Manar TV – Lebanon
Lebanese Media Group
Al Manar Channel
The biggest experience of its kind in the world.
The UK is testing four days a week.
In the UK, there is a widespread test of just four days a week instead of five, at a time when more companies are accepting workers on a four-day basis.
Lewis Bloomsfield is a Brit who works four days a week, has more time to spend with his family, and is thinking about doing volunteer work or even acquiring new skills, he says enthusiastically: “There are a lot of things I can do on an extra day off, ” according to Agence France-Presse.
The experiment, the largest ever in the world, aims to help companies reduce working hours without cutting salaries or slowing down the production cycle.
Countries such as Spain, Iceland, the United States and Canada have had similar experiences, and Australia and New Zealand are expected to join the group in August.
Alex Sojong-Kim Bang, project manager at 4DayWeek Global (4 working days a week), the organiser of the trials, said testing in Britain for six months would give companies time to test the system and collect data, adding that SMEs adapt more easily, as they can make big changes faster.
The Royal Institution for Biology, which is also taking part in the test, said it aims to give its employees more independence and hopes that the reduction in working days will attract new workers and keep the best employees in its ranks, especially in a stressful job market in the UK.
The unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia was at its lowest level in nearly 50 years at 3.7%, and job offers reached a record 1.3 million jobs.
Aidan Harper, one of the authors of The Case for a Four Day Week, argues that countries that adopt this system are more productive, noting that Greece is one of the European countries that rely on the longest hours of work versus the weakest productivity.
Phil McBerlein, founder of 4dayweek.io, a platform that specialises in flexible working and 4-days-a-week jobs, sees a shorter work week as a lucrative option for organizations and workers alike and speaks of a “superhuman ability to hire. ”
The platform confirms that the number of companies willing to hire on a four-day basis has quadrupled over the past two years, reflecting the increasing adoption of hybrid work and the quest to improve quality of life, two years after the Corona epidemic.
Source: Arabi Post

Companies in the UK are starting to adopt a 4-day workweek as part of a large-scale experiment.

The UK began a 4-day workweek pilot scheme in June 2022, involving 61 companies across various industries, which lasted until December 2022.

Title:

Content: UK companies test "4-day working week" workers generally agree that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages 51% permanent implementation
Author: Zhang Zijie
Published: Updated:
A number of UK companies are participating in a four-day workweek pilot scheme in the second half of 2022, with media reporting that most of the participating companies continue to allow employees to work fewer hours per week, and more than half of the companies have made the arrangement a regular measure.
The United Kingdom has 61 companies from marketing, professional services, non-profit organizations, construction, manufacturing, retail, health care, art and other industries, employees from June to December 2022, participate in the four-day work week, pay and performance of the same trial.
British citizens walk through the Canary Wharf Financial District on August 3, 2023. (Reuters)
As of the end of 2023, at least 89% of participating companies continued to maintain the measure, and at least 51% permanently implemented the measure, according to a report published by Autonomy, a think-tank that conducted the research.
The study found that shortening work hours generally benefits employees and businesses, who feel that their mental and physical health has improved, as well as a better balance between work and life, a better life, and less fatigue from work.
In addition, the managers and CEOs of the 28 participating companies unanimously agreed that the four-day work week has had a positive impact on the company, reducing staff wastage, significantly improving recruitment, and benefiting employees physically and mentally.
Sixty-one companies from different industries in the UK piloted a four-day work week in 2022, and the results were generally positive.
People enjoy a view of the City of London on 23 September 2023.
(Reuters)
The study, which listed a number of ways to maintain a four-day work week, including safety changes such as meetings, workplace communication, and work priorities, found that the improvements felt by employees continued for a year after the trial ended.
Researchers at Boston College, Cambridge, and Oxford University believe that the key to the strength of the data is not the rare or short-term impact, but the real and long-term impact.
Therefore, the four-day work week is not a flash in the sky, and British companies have succeeded in turning it into a permanent and effective measure.
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The negative outcome reported in the 4-day Week Pilot Trail was that 4% of participants are definitely not continuing.

Companies have reported benefits from adopting a four-day workweek, with over 90% of companies in a UK trial choosing to continue or plan to adopt the policy.

Title:

Content: How about four days a week instead of five?
Here are the results of an exciting experiment involving 60 companies around the world.
More than 60 companies participated in the experiment, allowing around 3,000 employees to work one day less per week while retaining the same salary.
Rates of stress, burnout and fatigue all fell, while problems with sleep declined, the study shows.
Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
MAIN POINTS
• The study found that more than 9 out of 10 companies will continue to shorten the work week or plan to do so
• Productivity was not affected by lighter work weeks, with the company ’ s revenue increasing by an average of 1.4 per cent over the trial period
The study also found that employment increased and absenteeism decreased.
A four-day workweek is more productive for most employees and businesses than the traditional five-day workweek, and is one of the largest trials ever conducted in the UK.
More than 60 companies in the UK participated in the trial over a six-month period, allowing around 3,000 employees to work one day less per week while retaining the same salary.
The trial was conducted between June and December and was organized by a nonprofit group called 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with the Autonomy Research Center, the University of Cambridge, and Boston College in the United States.
The experience is described as the largest in the world around working four days a week.
The survey released on Tuesday found that more than nine out of 10 companies would continue to adopt or plan to do so, while only 4 percent chose not to extend it, regulators said in a statement.
Juliette Shore, a professor at Boston College, said: “The results are largely the same across workplaces of all sizes, demonstrating that this innovation has proven to be effective in many diverse organizations.
Productivity was not affected by shorter working days, with the company ’ s revenue increasing by an average of 1.4% over the trial period.
Revenue jumped 35% on average when compared to similar periods in previous years.
The study also found that employment increased and absenteeism decreased, while the number of resignations dropped sharply during the trial.
In addition, the researchers concluded that overall health and staff well-being improved.
"Significant" increases were also observed in physical and mental health, time spent on exercise, public life and job satisfaction.
Stress, fatigue and fatigue rates have decreased, while sleep problems have decreased.
"Really positive."
Cambridge University professor Brendan Burchell told AFP: “In terms of employees, their mental health improved, they slept better, and they became less stressed.
“But at the same time, companies have stated that if there are changes in their profits or in their performance, they are more likely to go up rather than down. ”
“A lot of people were very happy, people really enjoyed it; and they found it good to have three-day weekends instead of two days. ”
Environmental consultancy Tyler Grange in the UK was among 18 companies that decided to permanently adopt a four-day work week after participating in the trial.
Nathan Jenkinson, customer manager at Tyler Grange, told AFP: “My experience has been really positive, you can see it in people ’ s work and they ’ re more active.
“Employees come to work at the beginning of the week on Monday, after three days off, feel more positive about work and have a lot of energy. ”
Tyler Grange said performance improved slightly despite reduced working hours.
In recent years, studies of the four-day workweek have spread globally as employers explore the nature of post-pandemic work, including the concept of a co-working place that allows more work from home.
Short-week experiments were conducted across Europe, the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
However, when asked whether the UK government might adopt the test as a national policy, Prime Minister ’ s spokesman Rishi Sonak sounded cautious and stated, “There are no plans for that. ”
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Published at 22 / 02 / 2023 1: 59pm
Presented by: Nassif Khoury
Source: AFP
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