© Shuterstock
More than a year after the big test of a four-day working week at various companies in Great Britain, more than half have introduced the shorter working week permanently because it would have nothing but benefits.
Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 8:54 PM
For six months between June and December 2022, employees at 61 organizations in the UK worked 80% of their usual hours. For the same pay. Provided they promised to deliver 100% of their usual work.
Some were skeptical about it but wanted to try it anyway. And guess what. More than 51% of companies have made the four-day working week permanent by the end of 2023.
READ ALSO. “We cannot simply put Magnette’s promises aside as ‘too crazy for words’”
The research was released on Wednesday by Autonomy, a think tank that piloted the 2022 non-profit organization ‘4 Day Week Global’ and the ‘4 Day Week UK Campaign’ in collaboration with researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and Boston College .
According to the report, the effects of shorter working hours have been overwhelmingly beneficial for staff and their businesses.
Positive impact
At the end of the trial, employees reported experiencing better physical and mental health, better work-life balance and overall life satisfaction.
“The key point is that the strong findings after six months are not due to novelty or short-term effects. These effects are real and long-lasting,” said Juliet Schor, professor of sociology at Boston College, who surveyed staff at companies participating in the trial.
Managers and CEOs at 28 of the organizations also agreed to answer additional questions. They all said the four-day work week had a positive impact on their business. Staff turnover fell in half of organisations, almost a third said the policy had noticeably improved recruitment, and 82% reported beneficial effects on staff wellbeing.