The World’s Largest Four-Day Work Week Experiment Reveals Increase in Employee Wellbeing

The five-day work week has lengthy been a staple of the world’s workforce, however a large experiment testing a four-day work week within the United Kingdom, which started three months in the past, is already seeing some extremely promising outcomes.

The labor power desires change. While the covid-19 pandemic’s stay-at-home orders have proven that many jobs can transfer (at the very least partially) to a distant configuration, the following huge change may very well be the period of the work week itself. In June, greater than 3,300 workers throughout the United Kingdom started taking part in a six-month experiment to check the efficacy of a four-day work week, which was organized by the nonprofit 4 Day Global. The pilot program has now reached its midway level, and 4 Day Global is reporting overwhelmingly constructive outcomes. More particularly, 88% of surveyed contributors stated that the four-day work week is working properly for his or her enterprise.

“The organizations in the United Kingdom pilot are contributing real-time data and knowledge that are worth their weight in gold. Essentially, they are laying the foundation for the future of work by putting a four-day week into practice, across every size of business and nearly every sector, and telling us exactly what they are finding as they go,” stated 4 Day Week Global CEO Joe O’Connor in a press release.

Results additionally embody 86% of survey respondents indicating that they might be doubtless or extraordinarily more likely to retain the four-day work week, whereas a complete of 46% of respondents reported some improve in productiveness. Businesses additionally reported a comparatively easy transition from the normal five-day work week. On a scale of 1 being “extremely challenging” to five being “extremely smooth,” 4 Day Week Global discovered that 98% of respondents rated the transition to the four-day work week a 3 or increased.

Prior to the beginning of the experiment, 4 Day Week Global stated that that is the most important pilot program of its type, the place, so long as staff preserve 100% of their productiveness, they may even preserve 100% of their wage whereas working 80% of the normal work week. The nonprofit has been collaborating on the pilot program with labor suppose tank Autonomy in addition to researchers from Cambridge University, Boston College, and Oxford University. Companies collaborating within the experiment vary from fish and chips retailers, to PR companies, to tech corporations. While the transition to a four-day work week is actually alluring, O’Connor acknowledges that it isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy to a labor revolution.

“We are learning that for many it is a fairly smooth transition and for some there are some understandable hurdles – especially among those which have comparatively fixed or inflexible practices, systems, or cultures which date back well into the last century,” O’Connor stated.

4 Day Week Global additionally reported testimonials from high-level executives from a few of the corporations concerned within the mission. CEO of Trio Media Claire Daniels stated, “Productivity has remained high, with an increase in wellness for the team, along with our business performing 44% better financially.” Meanwhile, Sharon Platts, Chief People Officer at Outcomes First Group, stated, “While it’s still early days, our confidence in continuing beyond the trial is growing and the impact on colleague wellbeing has been palpable.”

The four-day work week is a tantalizing idea for the working class, and one which seems to be increasingly reputable as pilot applications comparable to this one collect illuminating information on the idea. Microsoft flirted with a four-day work week in Japan and noticed increased gross sales figures and ranges of happiness in workers. The huge hurdle transferring ahead might be getting purchase in from sufficient corporations and executives to make the four-day work week a everlasting fixture on the earth’s labor market—however outcomes from massive initiatives such because the one from 4 Day Week Global are solely getting us nearer to that finish purpose.