The results of the world’s largest 4-day week trial are good news for the future of work, with new research showing that the results are in line with existing global evidence, further demonstrating the benefits of reduced, output-focused working hours.
The pilot program carried out in the UK by the non-profit 4 Day Week Global, the 4-Day Week Campaign in the UK and the Autonomy think tank, guided more than 60 companies and almost 3 000 workers through a six-month trial of the 4-day week, without losing salary for workers.
This brings the total number of pilot participants to 91 companies and approximately 3,500 employees. The main researcher, professor Juliet Schor from Boston College, said the overall results show that almost every organization will stay for a week 4 days after the trial, with 91% of course continuing or planning to continue and the other 4% leaning towards continuing. Only 4% of participants definitely did not continue.
Participating companies rated their overall experience in the trial at an average of 8.5/10, with business productivity and business performance each scoring 7.5/10. Revenue increased by 35% during the trial period when compared to the same period of the previous year, while rent increased and absenteeism decreased.
Also read: 28 SA companies to implement 4-day working week on March 1
Improvement of employee welfare and health
During the trial it was also found that the health and well-being of employees also improved, with a significant increase in physical and mental health, time spent on exercise and life and overall job satisfaction. Stress levels, fatigue and tiredness all decrease along with sleep problems.
Even the environmental results were encouraging, with commuting time falling across the full sample by half an hour per week.
Schor said he noticed an encouraging consistency in the data, with results remaining stable across workplaces of different sizes, suggesting this is an innovation that works for many different types of organizations.
“There are also some interesting differences. We found that employees in non-profit and professional services had a greater average increase in time for exercise, while those in construction and manufacturing experienced the greatest reduction in burnout and sleep problems.
Behavioral scientist and new CEO of 4-Day Week Global, Dr Dale Whelehan, explained that the sample produced interesting differences in gender results. “While both men and women benefit from the 4-day week, women’s experiences are generally better for burnout, life and work satisfaction, mental health and reduced travel time.”
Also read: 4-day working week pilot successful, all participating companies remain
The 4-day work week also balances the work at home
Encouragingly, the research also shows that the burden of non-work duties appears to be balanced, with more men doing housework and childcare.
Co-founder and MD of 4-Day Week Global, Charlotte Lockhart, said her team was delighted to develop the argument for the 4-day week with this new world-class academic research. “We look forward to adding the Australasian pilot results to this data set in the coming weeks and the 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 the pioneering 4-day week trial at Perpetual Guardian.
The approach is based on the 100-80-100™ model designed by Lockhart along with the Perpetual Guardian trial in 2018. It means 100% of the pay, for 80% of the time, in exchange for a commitment to deliver 100% of the output.
The Global 4-Day Week’s ambition is to create a new standard 4-day week and a new standard reduced working time.