Even after the four-day workweek trial ends, most companies are sticking to the change

The trial of the world’s largest four-day work week ended this week. 92% of participating companies plan to continue with the shortened work schedule because the benefits were so clear.

Survey of 61 UK-based companies and approximately 3,000 employees Delivery result nearly equal to Existing evidence from other studies“further demonstrates the benefits of time-saving, output-focused work,” the study concluded.

After the trial, 56 out of 61 companies continued the four-day work week. Only 2 of them said ‘absolutely not’, and the other 3 of his will continue to do so, but haven’t confirmed.

A pilot program was conducted by a non-profit organization. 4 days a week global, UK four days a week campaign and autonomy,think tank. It guided the company and its employees through his six-month test of 32 hours, 4 days a week without losing employee wages.include Previous research on US and Irish companiesa total of 91 companies with about 3,500 workers have completed a pilot program for shorter work weeks.

Additionally, 75 companies and 1,751 employees responded to the survey, leading to the latest findings.

Companies rated the overall experience at an average of 8.5/10, with business productivity and business performance scoring 7.5/10 respectively. Surprisingly, firm earnings (weighted by firm size across respondent organizations) remained fairly flat over the trial period, and he increased by 1.4% on average. Organizations reported an average revenue increase of 35% when compared to a similar period last year, indicating healthy growth during the reduced working hours.

“Some of the most widespread benefits of reduced working hours were seen in employee health,” the study concluded. “Based on pre- and post-study data, 39% of employees had reduced stress and 71% had reduced levels of burnout at the end of the study, as well as reduced levels of anxiety, fatigue and sleep disturbance. and improved mental and physical health.”

Both men and women benefit from a four-day work week, but women’s experience is generally superior, the study says.

“This is a case of burnout, life and job satisfaction, mental health, and shorter commutes,” says Dale Whelehan, PhD, behavioral scientist and CEO of 4 Day Week Global. A balance can be achieved by having more men share the household chores and childcare. “

The number of people leaving the company during the study dropped significantly, dropping by 57% during the trial. Furthermore, 15% of his employees at participating companies said that no amount of money would be more willing to accept a 5-day work week than a 4-day work week today.

“For many people, the positive effects of four days a week were worth more than the weight of their money,” says the report.

Boston College professor Juliet Schor, principal investigator of the 4-Day Work Week study, said the results were about the same regardless of the size of the company: “This is an innovation that works in many types of organizations. is showing.

“There are also some interesting differences,” Schor said in a statement. “We found that non-profit and professional services employees had the greatest average increase in time spent exercising, and construction/manufacturing employees had the greatest reductions in burnout and sleep disturbance. “

Other key business indicators showed signs of positive impact. In addition to a slight increase in revenue and fewer layoffs, he also reduced employee sick days by 65%.

Not everyone was convinced by the findings.

Charlotte Morris, Associate Solicitor esfar The self-described “new model employment law firm” — said there was “no doubt” about the benefits of shorter weeks at full wages for employee and staff retention and recruitment, but some It can be a headache for businesses.

For example, according to Morris, companies should consider what days of the week employees don’t work, what happens to part-time workers who already work only a short week, how holiday pay entitlements are calculated, and what You need to know if a contractual change is required. “Companies cannot unilaterally change the terms of an individual’s contract,” she said.

“It will be interesting to finally see the results of a trial that has been in place for some time,” Morris said in an email. computer world“However, given the length of time it takes for most people to leave their education and retire, a six-month probationary period is still not enough to truly measure the impact of a shorter work week. No. So you have to pay some attention to the results.”

The environmental results of this study were also encouraging, with commute time reduced by 30 hours per week across the sample.