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4-day week boosts employee wellbeing
Now, results from the world’s largest trial of a four-day working week reveal significantly reduced rates of stress and illness in the workforce – with 71 percent of employees self-reporting lower levels of “burnout,” and 39 percent saying they were less stressed, compared to the start of the trial, according to SciTech Daily.
There was a 65 percent reduction in sick days, and a 57 percent 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 percent on average.
In a report of the findings presented to UK lawmakers, some 92 percent of companies that took part in the UK pilot program (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 organized 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. Organizations 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.