Ninety Percent of UK Companies Testing Four-Day Workweek Plan to Stick With It: Report

A woman using a laptop on a dining room table set up as a remote office to work from home, in the United Kingdom, on Mar. 3, 2020. (Joe Giddens/PA)

A large majority of companies in the United Kingdom that took part in a test of a four-day workweek plan to continue to keep the arrangement, citing increased productivity and business performance.

A total of 61 companies and approximately 2,900 workers took part in the trial of a reduced workweek over six months from June to December 2022.

The pilot was organized by the not-for-profit organization 4 Day Week Global, in collaboration with the think tank Autonomy and researchers at Boston College and the University of Cambridge.

Restaurants, recruitment firms, charities, and digital marketing companies were among those who took part in the trial.

Employees who took part received 100 percent of their pay for 80 percent of their time, and in exchange promised to commit to delivering 100 percent of their output.

According to a newly published report from the study’s organizers, 92 percent of organizations that took part in the trial have vowed to continue with a four-day week while of the five companies that have decided not to, two have opted to extend their trials and three are pausing for the moment.

Employees Less Stressed, Happier

Business performance and productivity both scored an average of 7.5/10 by organizations on two separate scales, the report found, while revenues rose 35 percent on average compared to a similar period in previous years.

In addition, the number of staff leaving fell by 57 percent over the six-month trial period, according to the report.

Employees saw benefits too, with 55 percent of workers reporting an increase in their ability at work, 71 percent stating that their levels of “burnout” had been reduced by the end of the trial, and 39 percent stating they felt less stressed.

Improvements in mental health, a reduction in negative emotions, fatigue, and sleep difficulties, and improvements in physical health were also seen among employees, according to the report.

Overall, 90 percent of employees said they want to stick with a four-day week, and 15 percent stated that “no amount of money” would make them accept a five-day schedule at their next job.

The findings from the UK trial build on the results of an earlier pilot by 4 Day Week Global published in November. However, that trial, in which more than 30 companies and almost 1,000 employees in Australia, Ireland, and the United States took part, was much smaller.

That trial also found similar results: companies saw increased revenue, reduced absenteeism, and resignations and employees felt less stressed and burnt out, and reported higher rates of life satisfaction.

More Trials Ongoing

The latest trial, combined with the earlier one across Australia, the United States, and Ireland, brings the total number of companies to have participated in the four-day workweek pilot to 91 in the last 12 months, according to 4 Day Week Global. Approximately 3,500 workers have taken part in the trials across various countries.

Additional trials are currently taking place in Europe, South Africa, Brazil, and North America.

Opponents of the four-day workweek argue that it leads to a generally happier workforce, increased productivity, and can also help reduce childcare costs.

They note that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent move to work from home has changed the way people now think about their working lives, prompting more and more workers to ditch the standard 9–5 and seek out a better work/life balance.

The UK’s former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote in a tweet on Wednesday: “I am pleased to see that momentum for a four-day week continues to grow. The evidence is clear: a reduction in hours boosts productivity and improves well-being. As we said in our 2019 manifesto, ‘Time off to rest, relax, and be with family is essential to a happy and fulfilling life.’”

However, other business experts note that the four-day workweek is not a one-size-fits-all concept.

The managing director of Tyler Grange, an environmental consulting firm based in the UnitedKingdom, told NPR that while he has yet to hear anyone give a reason as to why the five-day workweek is still in place, the latest results from the trial show that “working in a way that is most applicable to your organization to achieve the sweet spot of productivity, the best productivity for the time,” is what companies should be aiming for.