Most of the organisations that took part in a 61-company, six-month trial in the UK of the four-day week, have made the policy permanent.
The trial, which covered 3,000 workers, taking place between June and December 2022, has been described as the world’s largest four-day week experiment. It was run by nonprofit 4 Day Week Global and the thinktank Autonomy.
Fresh research has revealed that of the 61 organisations that took part in the UK, 54 (89%) were still operating the policy a year later (December 2023), and 31 (51%) had made the change permanent. More than 100 firms undertook the trial across the world.
Four-day week trials
Does the four-day week align with flexibility and skills priorities?
Portugal’s four-day week yields staff benefits
The analysis, by researchers at Boston College in the US and a sociology expert at University College Dublin, found that more than half (55%) of project managers and chief executives agreed that a four-day week – in which staff worked 100% of their output in 80% of their time – produced multiple benefits on their organisations.
More than three-quarters of respondents (82%) said the four-day week had improved wellbeing, half found it reduced staff turnover, while a third (32%) said it improved recruitment. Productivity had improved according to nearly half of those asked (46%).
The research’s authors said the main reason employees had maintained productivity in the four-day week is that companies had decreased or cut activities with questionable or low value. They said: “Meetings – a traditional source of complaints among employees and managers alike – have been a major target in this reorganisation, with personnel turning to phone calls, messaging apps, or other means of communication.”
The other key to increased productivity, they noted, was that four-day week employees tended to use their third day off for doctor’s appointments or other personal errands they would otherwise try to cram into a workday. Employees also reported devoting the extra day off to hobbies and leisure activities, household work and personal grooming, all of which often contributed to good mental health and general life satisfaction.
Almost all workers (96%) on the trial said their personal life had benefited, and 86% believed their performance at work had improved. A significant proportion (38%) felt their organisation had become more efficient, and 24% said it had helped with caring responsibilities.
Juliet Schor, professor of sociology at Boston College, said the trial’s results showed “real and long lasting” effects. “Physical and mental health, and work-life balance are significantly better than at six months. Burnout and life satisfaction improvements held steady,” she said.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Phill Bell at ART Health Solutions agreed that when employees worked a four-day week “they were higher performing due to having a longer period of rest and recovery”, but added that businesses must take a data-driven approach when determining the suitability of a shorter working week.
He said ART’s data showed that performance “was enhanced during a four-day week, which correlated with improvements in sleep, step count and mood”. This meant that those surveyed had the potential to deliver more quality work in a shorter week. He added: “The extra ‘magic 20%’ that companies may think would be missing from one less day in the office, was probably never there in the first place – a case of productivity being confused with performance.”
Companies needed to be mindful that what worked for some businesses might not work for others, Bell added.
Relative merits
Matthew Percival, a director at the Confederation of British Industry, echoed this by saying the four-day week was not a “one-size-fits-all answer” and would be “unlikely to pay for itself in many industries”.
He said: “If businesses have the budget to add to their offer to employees, then they will be considering the relative merits of reducing working hours compared to increasing pay, pensions or paid parental leave.”
Several UK councils have trialled four-day weeks but the UK government does not approve, and has issued non-statutory guidance indicating it is not in favour because “it does not believe four-day weeks deliver local taxpayers value for money”.
Over the past month, Scottish public sector workers have started working a four-day week to test whether the practice could be rolled out. The pilot involves 140 staff at South of Scotland Enterprise doing a 32-hour week without loss of pay.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today
Browse more human resources jobs
