4-day work week passes test in UK – 02/22/2023 – Market

More than 9 out of 10 companies that have adopted a four-day workweek in the UK will continue to use this more flexible way of operating, according to the results of a six-month test.

Of the 61 companies that participated in the pilot project, 18 said they would keep the four-day work week on a permanent basis because they had evidence that the new arrangement offers benefits. Another 38 said they would continue the trial.

The six-month trial, in the fall of last year, was organized by the activist organization 4 Day Week Global, research institute Autonomy and researchers from Boston College and the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

The test organizers want to make the four-day workweek the new industry standard, based on a model of 100% pay for 80% work time in exchange for a commitment to deliver 100% expected output. .

Companies that signed up for the test ranged from education and consulting groups to banks and technology, human resources and retail companies, which employ nearly 3,000 workers.

Companies have taken a variety of approaches to the four-day week, including offering their staff Friday off. Other participants let their staff work 80% of the standard working hours, flexibly distributed.

Participating companies’ revenue increased by an average of more than a third during the test period, compared to the same period in 2021. The number of employees leaving has decreased significantly.

The study’s director, Professor Juliet Schor of Boston College, said that “the results are generally strong across workplaces of different sizes, demonstrating that this is an innovation that works for many types of organizations.”

Many companies in the UK have embraced greater flexibility for their people since the coronavirus crisis, based on a combination of remote and in-office work, although some are starting to return to the system they employed before the pandemic.

Skeptics of the four-day workweek test argue that pilot projects like this attract workers predisposed to prefer the shorter hours, which reduces the likelihood of voluntary layoffs in the company.

There are also concerns that productivity gains may wane when the revised working arrangements are permanently adopted.

The test organized by 4 Day Week Global found that shorter working hours improved the well-being of employees, and that 40% of workers said they felt less stressed, and more than 70% of them assessed that their level of “burnout” (exhaustion) had subsided.

Employees also said it was easier to balance work and family and social commitments.

The researchers found little difference in results between different business sectors.

Initially, 70 companies signed up for the test organized by 4 Day Week Global. Nine decided not to participate due to lack of preparation, difficulties in measuring performance and concerns that workers would not achieve the expected results.

Translated by Paulo Migliacci