Happier staff and more revenue: World's biggest trial of four-day working week hailed a 'major breakthrough'
21 February 2023, 09:12
A four-day work week with no loss of pay leads to happier staff, fewer sickness absences, and more revenue for employers, a landmark study has found.
Employees involved in the trial also reported lower levels of stress, while companies saw fewer staff leave and an increase in productivity.
Across the country, 61 businesses were involved in the six-month trial, which saw staff work 32-hour, four-day weeks with no drop in salary.
Companies involved in the trial ranged from from charities and financial services firms to retailers and a fish and chip shop.
At least 56 out of the 61 firms that took part said they plan to continue with the four-day working week, while 18 firms confirmed the policy has become a permanent change.
According to the study, 71 per cent of employees reported lower levels of burnout, while there was also a 65 per cent reduction in sick days.
Brighton-based skincare company 5 Squirrels said the trial has "worked across the board" and significantly boosted productivity across the team.
The study found that working time across the companies fell from 38 hours per week on average to 34 hours, with some workers only doing "modest" amounts of work on the fifth day.
The Royal Society of Biology, for example, swapped five seven-hour days per week for four eight-hour days, a drop from 35 to 32 hours per week.
Staff had the choice to take Mondays or Fridays as their day off.
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Gary Conroy, the firm’s chief executive, told PA: “We’re trying to run a profitable, productive company and we believe that one of the ways of doing that is by having higher employee engagement and happier members of staff.
“We can get a lot more done in less time, meaning that we are then free to have more time off.”
One of the first major companies to make the move to a four-day working week was digital bank Atom, which made the switch in November 2021.
The bank has since reported an “overwhelmingly positive” experience for employees, resulting in increased productivity and job satisfaction and a surge in applications for jobs at the bank.
Anne-Marie Lister, head of people at Atom bank, said: “As an early adopter of the four-day week, it is wonderful to see the number of businesses who have now chosen to make the shift permanent, with pressure clearly growing on the Government to challenge the traditional working structure.
"Since moving to the new working structure in November 2021, we have not only seen a happier, healthier, more productive workforce, but also a welcome rise in applications for roles at Atom, whilst also hitting record high customer service metrics and significant business milestones.”
Dr David Frayne, a research associate at the University of Cambridge, said: “We feel really encouraged by the results, which showed the many ways companies were turning the four-day week from a dream into realistic policy, with multiple benefits.”
The researchers insisted the results show the four-day week is “ready to take the next step from experimentation to implementation”.
“The benefits of a shorter working week for no reduction in pay are now both well-known and well-evidenced: employees are happier and healthier, and the organisations they work for are often more productive, more efficient, and retain their staff more readily," it concluded.
Findings from the pilot scheme, the largest trial of a four-day working week in the world, will be presented to MPs on Tuesday.
