The four-day working day trial in the UK has been successfully concluded: 92% of the companies that participated in the six-month study will maintain this new working system.
The research was organized by 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with scientists from Cambridge University and academics from Boston College. Its findings show how a reduced working day maintains good performance and employee competitiveness.
The six-month study in the UK involved 61 companies and some 2,900 workers, making it the world’s largest trial to date. During that period, enrollees followed the 100-80-100 workday model: 100% of salary for 80% of the time in exchange for a 100% commitment to production.
The results of the study show that company revenues increased by 1.4% on average during the six-month test period and by more than 35% compared to the similar period in the previous year.
In addition, a four-day work week significantly reduced stress and sickness rates among workers: sick leave was reduced by more than 60%. The number of employees who left their company also fell, by 57%.
Improved mental health, reduced burnout, better use of free time and less difficulty sleeping are some of the positive consequences highlighted by the employees who participated in the project.
Ninety percent of the employees were in favor of maintaining the reduced working hours, and 15% said they would not accept more money to continue with the previous 5-day working week.
Source : 20minutos
