I waited until Friday to write about this most recent four-day workweek study.
That way, those of us putting in a full five might better receive the professional company-focused benefits that the study discovers (while those already partaking in the four-day movement reap the personal work-life benefits that the study also confirms).
Released last month in a study entitled “The Result Are In: The UK’s Four-Day Week Pilot,” the report details what happened with 61 UK companies and nearly 3,000 workers who endeavored on a two-month trial of four-day workweeks.
Ultimately, 56 of the participating companies (92%) said they’re continuing with four-day workweeks, with 18 committing to it as a permanent policy change.
In what many might consider the all-important metric, the report finds that company revenues “stayed broadly the same over the trial period, rising by 1.4% on average, weighted by company size, across respondent organizations.”
“When compared to a similar period from previous years, organizations reported revenue increases of 35% on average,” the report says, “which indicates healthy growth during this period of working-time reduction.”
Marketing and advertising companies made up the largest sector of those who took part in the study, which was a collaboration between the Autonomy research firm, the 4 Day Week Global not-for-profit, the 4 Day Week Campaign, and other researchers.
On a 0-10 scale, the companies rated their overall experience of the four-day trial as an 8.3 on average.
In focusing on the business-case for their arguments, researchers note not only the revenue increases, but also the “improvements in hiring, absenteeism, and resignations.”
“The results of these trials have been resoundingly positive,” the report says. “While companies, through their leaders, have expressed that they are extremely pleased with performance, productivity, and their overall experience, it has been a similar case for employees themselves too.”
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