UK study finds four-day workweek reduces worker stress and maintains productivity

• UK study experiments with four-day work week: 3,000 employees at 73 companies without losing pay

Results from the world's largest test of a four-day work week reveal a significant reduction in rates of stress and illness among workers: 71% of employees report less "burnout" and 39% report being less stressed than at the start of the test.

Sixty-one UK organizations committed to a

, over a six-month period from June 2022. The vast majority of companies they also maintained full-time productivity goals.

Compared to the same period of the previous year,

.

Company revenues barely changed during the test period, even rising marginally by 1.4% on average.

In a report on the results submitted to UK lawmakers, some 92% of companies that participated in the UK pilot program (56 out of 61) say they intend to continue with the four-day working week, and 18 companies confirm that the change will be permanent.

The research for the British tests was carried out by a team of

.

The trial was organized by 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with the UK 4 Day Week Campaign.

Businesses from across the UK participated, with

.

Organizations that participated in the trial ranged from online retailers and financial service providers to animation studios and a local fishmonger, including consulting, housing, IT, skin care, recruiting , hospitality, marketing and health.

The researchers surveyed employees throughout the trial to assess the effects of having an extra day of free time.

across all sectors, while mental and physical health improved.

Many of those surveyed stated that they found it easier to reconcile work with family and social commitments: 60% of respondents believe that it is easier to combine paid work with family responsibilities, and 62% affirm that it is easier to balance work with social life.

"Prior to the trial, many wondered if there would be an increase in productivity that would outweigh the reduction in working time, but that's exactly what we found," says sociologist Brendan Burchell, who led the part of the research conducted by Cambridge University.

"Many employees

," he says. "Long meetings with too many people were shortened or abandoned altogether. Workers were much less willing to waste time and were actively looking for technologies that would improve their productivity."

Dr David Frayne, Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, says the results "showed the many ways in which companies were turning the four-day week from a dream to a realistic policy, with multiple benefits

"

For his part, Joe Ryle, Director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, calls the results a "breakthrough" for the idea of ​​shorter work weeks.

In addition to the survey, designed in collaboration with colleagues such as Boston College Professor Juliet Schor, the Cambridge team conducted a large number of in-depth interviews with employees and company CEOs before, during and after the six-month trial.

motivations

As for motivations, several senior managers told the researchers that they viewed the four-day week as a rational response to the pandemic, and that they believed it would give them an advantage in attracting talent in the post-crisis job

. of covid.

Some saw it as an

, which they felt put the company culture at risk.

Others had seen staff suffer from health problems and bereavement during the pandemic, and felt a greater "moral responsibility" towards employees.

However, many claimed that reduced hours were being talked about long before Covid as a response to demanding or emotionally draining work.

Surprisingly, however, none of the interviewed organizations participated in the tests simply because the technology had reduced their need for human labor.

Some of the companies that participated in the test placed conditions on the reduction in working hours

, such as fewer vacation days, the possibility of calling staff at short notice or a "conditional" four-day week, that is, it was only maintained while performance targets were met.

In the interviews, it was documented how companies reduced the working day without compromising the objectives.

Among the most common methods are

to reduce long threads and inbox rotation, the new analyzes of the production processes, the task lists at the end of the day for an efficient handover or the start of the day the next day.

When employees were asked how they used extra free time, by far the most popular response was "life management": tasks like grocery shopping or housework.

Many explained that this allowed them adequate rest for leisure activities on Saturdays and Sundays.

"Employees used to describe a

," says Niamh Bridson Hubbard, a researcher and PhD student at Cambridge. "Many described being able to switch off or breathe easier at home. One person told us how their 'Sunday dread' had disappeared."

top rated

When it came to work culture, employees were generally positive,

and describing a sense of shared purpose stemming from efforts to make the four-day week a success.

However,

, while some from creative companies expressed concern about the reduction in coexistence at work due to "concentration time", arguing that unstructured talks often spark new ideas.

At the end of the six-month trial,

.

"Almost everyone we interviewed said they were overwhelmed by questions from other organizations in their industry interested in following suit," says Burchell.

"

. I personally have been encouraged by talking to so many optimistic people in the last six months. A four-day week means a lifetime of work and better family for many people," he concludes.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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