Nearly nine in 10 companies which took part in a four-day working week trial are still operating the shorter week one year on, data shows.
In February 2022, 61 companies started the year long four-day week pilot scheme.
And 12 months on from the end of the trial, 89% of the firms are still operating a four-day week according to figures by thinktank Autonomy.
A year after the trial, 46% of organisations described positive change in terms of ways of working and productivity, leading to maintained or increased overall performance.
Of those still still running a shorter working week, reported improved mental and physical health, a reduction in sleep problems and a happier workforce.
Work-life balance improved the most from an average score of 2.94 before the trial to 3.97 a year after the pilot.
Sleep problems also significantly decreased from an average score of 2.28 before the trial to 1.97 12 months after the trial.
Andrew Rose, who is the director of Manchester-based AKA management, implemented a four-day work week as policy in his company permanently after participating in the pilot trial.
He said:“One of our case managers was asked about a day that changed her life, and I sat there with a lump in my throat, when she described her new-born grandchild being placed in her lap alongside her laptop as she continued work.
“Now she’s a champion of her shorter working week. She’s always posting on Facebook about spending time with her grandchildren and meeting friends.”
In the four-day week trial companies operated a 32 hour working week- or a similar amount of reduced hour- with the same pay as a regular 40 hour week.
Of the managers and CEOs who were consulted, 100% said that the four-day week had a ‘positive’ or ‘very positive’ impact on their organisation a year on from the trial as well.
The UK pilot started in June 2022 was by 4 Day Week Global, a not-for-profit organisation founded in New Zealand, and overseen by the thinktank Autonomy and a team of academics.
Head of Development at Autonomy, Tatiana Pignon, explained the benefits of the four-day work week for both companies and employees.
She said: “ Generally the reason companies reach out to us in the first place is to improve staff welfare and the level of satisfaction staff have with the company in regards to work-life balance.”
“Not only that but it is an attractive policy as well in terms of staff retention and hiring.”
The number of staff who left participating companies decreased by 57% during the trial period.
Both life and job satisfaction have improved since the start of the trial in participating companies.
Job satisfaction has decreased slightly since immediately after the end of the trial (7.88) with an average score one year on from the trial being 7.62, on a scale of 1-10 and 10 being the most satisfied.
But life satisfaction seems to still be improving after participating employees recorded an average of 7.5 immediately after the trial ended and 7.56 one year on.
In the past week 67% of Conservative voters said they would opt for a shorter working week, an idea that has been Green party policy since October 2023.
Both Pignon and Rose who implemented the four-day work week personally and across their companies recommend the pilot stating it improved their quality of life and staff satisfaction.
Featured image courtesy of Arlington Research on Unsplash.
