Researchers say that 4-day workweeks can improve employee health and well-being as well as reduce sick days. The researchers there based their findings on a 6-month project involving 61 employers in the United Kingdom who reduced work hours by 20% for all employees during a six-month period commencing in June 2022. Furthermore, the vast majority of enterprises maintained their full-time productivity targets.
Data from the world’s largest four-day working week trial show considerably lower rates of stress and illness in the workforce, with 71% of employees self-reporting lower levels of “burnout” and 39% indicating they were less anxious. There was a 65 per cent reduction in sick days, and a 57 per cent fall in the number of staff leaving participating companies, compared to the same period the previous year. Company revenue barely changed during the trial period – even increasing marginally by 1.4 per cent on average.
In a report of the findings presented to UK lawmakers, some 92 per cent of companies that took part in the UK pilot programme (56 out of 61) say they intend to continue with the four-day working week, with 18 companies confirming the change as permanent. Research for the UK trials was conducted by a team of social scientists from the University of Cambridge, working with academics from Boston College in the US and the think tank Autonomy. The trial was organised by 4 Day Week Global in conjunction with the UK’s 4 Day Week Campaign.
Companies from across the UK took part, with around 2,900 employees dropping a day of work. Organisations involved in the trial ranged from online retailers and financial service providers to animation studios and a local fish-and-chip shop.
Other industries represented include consultancy, housing, IT, skincare, recruitment, hospitality, marketing, and healthcare. Researchers surveyed employees throughout the trial to gauge the effects of having an extra day of free time. Self-reported levels of anxiety and fatigue decreased across workforces, while mental and physical health improved. Many survey respondents said they found it easier to balance work with both family and social commitments: 60 per cent of employees found an increased ability to combine paid work with care responsibilities, and 62 per cent reported it easier to combine work with social life.
“Before the trial, many questioned whether we would see an increase in productivity to offset the reduction in working time – but this is exactly what we found,” said sociologist Prof Brendan Burchell, who led the University of Cambridge side of the research.