Bye-bye to the 5-day work week? Biggest 4-day work week trial a resounding success

The four-day work week, while still a contentious and hotly debated issue, is stirring up the world of work across the globe.

Recently, about 3 000 workers from 60 different businesses throughout the UK took part in a four-day work week trial. Its pioneering pilot was the world’s biggest so far.

The programme took place from June to December 2022. Its results are now out and the experiment was a resounding success.

This programme was carried out by non-profit organisation, 4 Day Week Global, the 4 Day Week Campaign in the UK, and the think tank, Autonomy. It also had academic backing, with Boston College and the of Cambridge University

Here is what was found in the experiment:

• 15% of the employees who took part in the pilot said that no amount of money would persuade them to accept a five-day work week at their next job.
• Organisations reported revenue growth of 35% when compared to prior years.
• Business performance and productivity both scored an average of of 7.5/10.
• Nearly every organisation will continue to work a four-day week after the trial, with 91% certainly continuing or planning to continue.
• 4% of the businesses said they were inclined towards continuing.
• Just 4% of the participants decided not to continue.
• Throughout the trial period, the number of employees who left decreased by 57%.
• Businesses evaluated their overall trial experience an 8.3/10.
• 90% of employees stated they would want to continue working a four-day week, with no one saying they would not.
• 15% of the employees who took part in the pilot claimed that no amount of money would persuade them to accept a five-day work-week at their next job.
• 55% of the workers reported an increase in their ability at work.
• By the end of the experiment, 71% of employees reported lower levels of burnout. 39% reported reduced stress. 43% reported an improvement in their mental health.
• 54% reported a decrease in unpleasant feelings. Physical health improved for 37% of employees. 46% experienced a decrease in weariness. 40% reported less difficulty sleeping.

“Results are largely steady across workplaces of varying sizes, demonstrating this is an innovation which works for many types of organisations.

“There are also some interesting differences. We found that employees in non-profits and professional services had a larger average increase in time spent exercising, while those in construction/manufacturing enjoyed the largest reductions in burnout and sleep problems,” said the lead researcher of Boston College.

These results are exciting, according to Karen Lowe, the 4 Day Week SA director. This local leg of the global organisation is currently conducting its own four-day work week trial in conjunction with research by Boston College and Stellenbosch Business School.

‘’These findings are encouraging as they are similar to others that have been conducted. We are starting to see consistency data. What is important is that there are third parties, the academic researchers who ensure an unbiased view and proper results,’’ said Lowe.

Twenty-nine companies are taking part in the South African trial, in which employees will earn 100% pay for 80% of the time in return for delivering 100% of the product. Lowe said with Mzansi being a developing country, there were many aspects that had to be incorporated, including load shedding.

‘’When your back is against the wall, you do better, you plan better, you scale better and consult with staff. Load shedding gives these companies the unique opportunity to be innovative and come up with new ways of working,’’ she said.

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