How Would A 4-Day Workweek Benefit Employees? These Researchers Found Out
The United Kingdom just wrapped up an extensive study. TenorNews that is entertaining to read
Subscribe for free to get more stories like this directly to your inboxThe United Kingdom served as the proving grounds for the largest study yet investigating the potential pros and cons associated with removing one day from the standard five-day workweek.
Aided by researchers from the University of Cambridge, more than five dozen organizations gave employees a 20% reduction in the number of hours they were required to work each week — all without any decrease in their salaries.
Here’s what the evidence shows
- More than 7 in 10 employees said they experienced less burnout.
- Nearly 40% felt less stressed by the end of the experiment.
- Employers received 65% fewer requests for time off due to illness.
- The rate of resignations fell by a whopping 57%.
All of this seems like a big win for employees, but what about the businesses? Well, as it turns out, the nearly two dozen participants that were able to provide revenue data showed that it actually increased slightly during the six-month trial.
Furthermore, 92% of the participating companies indicated that they planned to keep the four-day workweek in place — including 18 that said the shift had already been permanently enacted.
As lead researcher Brendan Burchell explained: “Before the trial, many questioned whether we would see an increase in productivity to offset the reduction in working time — but this is exactly what we found. Many employees were very keen to find efficiency gains themselves.”
So is it spreading beyond the UK?
Workers around the world who would be interested in reducing the days they have to work each week might be encouraged by efforts similar to the U.K. pilot program that are currently underway in other countries.
Specifically, Ireland and the United States have already performed similar research — and in light of these results, a four-day week might be coming to your workplace soon!