Factz

BREAKING

Four Day Work Weeks Are So Successful that Businesses Trialing Them Won’t Go Back to Five

In the UK, dozens of companies took part in the world’s largest trial of a four-day work week.

And it was so successful that the vast majority of companies who gave it a try won’t be going back to five-day work weeks.

In fact, it was so successful that 15% of employees who participated even went so far as to say that “no amount of money” would tempt them to go back to a five day a week schedule.

Around 3,000 employees were involved in the trial, which was organized by advocacy group 4 Day Week Global, in collab with research group Autonomy and researchers at Boston College and the University of Cambridge.

The trial was flexible – companies could decide how to spread out their employees 32-hour weeks (most did so by just axing one day a week), but they had to keep their employees at 100% pay.

When the trial concluded, employees reported a variety of benefits related to sleep, stress, personal lives and mental health. Revenue stayed about the same during the trial but rose 35% on average when compared to the same period from previous years, and resignations decreased.

56 of the 61 companies who participated will be keeping the four-day work weeks after the trial ended. 18 says the change will be permanent. Two companies will be continuing the trial longer – and only three companies returned to their previous schedules.

Senator Bernie Sanders recently shared the study on Twitter and called for an end to the grueling five-day work week, citing a significant rise in productivity and employee wellness from shortening the week.