So that’s it.
As of January 2023, the 6-month globally run trial ended and with it the evidence that a 4-day week works.
The results from 91 companies based in Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most recently the UK, have been positive.
Only 4% are definite they’re not going to continue with a 4-day week. Only 4%!
In 2021, Ashley predicted that the 4-day week would improve wellbeing and productivity but would hinder client retention and workers could end up working longer hours even with the boundaries set in place.
Two years on and the pilot showed:
Better employee physical & mental health
Increased life and job satisfaction
Reduced levels of stress & burnout
Lower % staff turnover
Lower absenteeism
Higher revenue – 35% rise over the trial period when compared to previous years
63% found it easier to attract/retain
A 4-day week is heavily desired.
Alongside insight from over 3,500 people, a poll we ran on LinkedIn also confirmed this fact.
60% chose a 4-day week over:
Doubled pension contribution
A healthy bonus package
Life & health insurance
Collated data from the 4-day week global digs into different areas we thought would be interesting to share. So here are some snippets:
The size of the company wasn’t a factor in what results came back, proving that the 4-day week works for small, medium and large organisations.
People weren’t using the day off to pick up another job elsewhere. They were utilising the day for hobbies and leisure. We do however wonder how this will change with the cost-of-living situation.
Both men and women benefited off the 4-day week, but women more so. The additional day spurred men to take on more housework and childcare.
Monday’s and Friday’s were the chosen ‘off’ days for more than half of the organisations.
Downfall’s
At present, there aren’t many sources sharing downsides to the pilot. As it was 2 years ago, the cons will all be assumptions until official data is released. But for now, the biggest concern is still the hours people work.
Just because it’s a 4-day week, doesn’t mean the hours are reduced to a 4-day week across the board.
Some organisations may compress their employee’s hours rather than reduce.
Some employees may work overtime either due to pressure of getting the work done in less time/ days OR because they feel they haven’t done enough in the time frame.
At the moment/ foreseeable, there are some industries and job roles where a 4-day week and reduced hours is a no go i.e., emergency services.
The statistics and insight in this report were pulled together by researchers at Boston College and University College Dublin, and brought to the public in a report by 4-day week global.
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