Almost 2,900 employees participated in the six-month project, which saw 61 employers across the UK slash hours by 80% while keeping earnings the same.
Surprisingly, 56 of these firms (92% of those who participated) have prolonged the four-day week, and 18 have made it permanent.
A recently-released assessment on the initiative, which took place between June and December 2022, states that the advantages to worker wellness are ‘substantial’.
Workers were polled before and after the experiment, and 71% reported reduced levels of burnout as a consequence, 39% reported less stress, 40% reported better sleep, and 54% indicated it was easier to reconcile work and home duties.
Sick days dropped by two-thirds in the workplace, and employees were 57% more inclined to stay with the firm. Productivity remained steady in most situations, while revenue increased by 1.4% on average.
The scheme’s findings (organised by 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with the thinktank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week Campaign, and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Boston College) will now be presented to MPs in an attempt to persuade parliament to consider a nationwide implementation of a 32-hour week.
Chip shops, financial services enterprises, internet merchants, and animation studios were among the businesses that took part in the trial.
Victoria, 37, learned about the pilot while working at Citizen’s Advice Gateshead for the past five years. She claims that her new work schedule allows her to spend more time with her two children, one of whom is handicapped.
‘Our eldest son has complex needs and routine means everything to him,’ Victoria explained. ‘Knowing that the children have quality time and reassurance of routine with me, means I have had a weight lifted and I can be really focussed on work.’
She added: ‘It is working so well, and I am feeling really productive, consistently hitting my weekly target.’
Additionally, chief operating officer Paul Oliver, 48, commented: ‘We’re really pleased with the results so far. In the months following the launch of the trial our sickness levels went down and staff retention levels went up, bucking the trend shown by other similar organisations recently.
‘It feels like it’s really making a difference in so many crucial ways. Staff are getting more work done in less time and overall working more efficiently and effectively.’
Coupled with encouraging data, it is anticipated that these answers would persuade politicians to make adjustments.
‘We are particularly pleased by the results, which highlighted the numerous ways enterprises were turning the four-day week from a fantasy into a reality policy, with multiple advantages,’ said Dr David Frayne, research associate at the University of Cambridge.
‘We think there is a lot here that ought to motivate other companies and industries to give it a try.’
The five-day work week has been in place for more than a century. These findings might provide the impetus to move our work (and general well-being) into the twenty-first century.
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