WASHINGTON, Aug 4 — Is the four-day week the answer to workers’ current woes, from burnout to disengagement? As yet, it’s too soon to determine all the advantages — and disadvantages — of this alternative approach, which appeals to many workers worldwide. However, new research conducted in North America and based on a pilot programme reveals the many benefits of this way of working, both for staff and for businesses.
Are you for or against the four-day week? According to a recent survey conducted by OpinionWay for Indeed on the subject in France, more than two-thirds of employees working in the public and private sectors are ready to embrace this alternative work pattern, even if it means working longer days to accomplish their tasks, or potentially a reduction in salary (28 per cent). Among employees’ objectives are the desire to preserve, if not improve, their work-life balance, and the need to combat stress and burnout. And early feedback on this change of pace suggests that they could be right.
Throughout 2022, the non-profit organisation 4 Day Week Global has been recruiting companies in the USA and Canada to take part in its six-month pilot programme designed to test the four-day week. The campaign has also been deployed in other Western countries, including the UK, and involves working fewer hours per week, without cutting back on pay or targets. A total of 41 companies, including Kickstarter and Search Engine Journal, have tested this new approach in North America. Conducted in partnership with researchers from Cambridge University and Boston College, the trial proved more than conclusive several months later.
Positive feedback from businesses and workers
The first takeaway from the trial is not about workers, but about the Canadian and American companies that tested the four-day week. At the end of the programme, none of the 41 companies was considering going back. A positive finding, especially as these same companies gave this trial a score of 8.7 (on a scale of 1 to 10). Satisfaction was expressed not only in terms of productivity and performance resulting from the four-day week, but also in terms of the companies’ “ability to attract employees.” In a report summarising the pilot programme’s findings, 4 Day Week Global also reported an average 15 per cent increase in company revenue over the course of the trial.
Employees also reported benefits, and generally appear to be (highly) satisfied with the trial. No less than 95 per cent of them would now like to continue working in this way, and more than two-thirds (69 per cent) reported reductions in burnout. Indeed, the four-day week appears to be particularly beneficial in terms of well-being. Two out of five programme participants claim to feel less stressed. What’s more, more than four out of ten people (42 per cent) say they did more environmentally friendly activities during the trial, whether in terms of recycling or mobility, with workers generally preferring to walk or cycle rather than drive.
“Before our trial, dedicated employees were struggling with burnout. Turnover was increasing due to an intense workload, meeting overload, and inefficient procedures. The four-day week motivated us to question our status quo and implement major productivity improvements. Today, we are reaping the benefits. Our turnover has dropped to record lows, productivity levels remained constant, and clients did not notice we had adopted a four-day week,” said Jenise Uehara, CEO of Search Engine Journal, one of the companies that took part in the pilot project.
A drop in working hours
Another noteworthy finding from the trial is that average working hours continued to fall beyond the conclusion of the pilot programme in the participating companies, for up to a year afterward. In fact, 4 Day Week Global reports that working hours fell from 38 to 32.97 hours per week, without compromising performance or objectives. The time saved was mainly attributed to a reduction in the number of meetings, or to the introduction of initiatives designed to optimise focus time and reduce distractions.
“It’s important to note this continued reduction in hours was not achieved via increased work intensity, where people had to speed up and cram five days of tasks into four. Instead, they operated more efficiently and continued to improve these capabilities as the year progressed,” explains professor Juliet Schor, an economist and sociologist at Boston College.
These findings support initial feedback from British employees who have also experimented with a four-day week, this time between June and December 2022, and again under the auspices of 4 Day Week Global. According to figures recently presented by the non-profit organisation, 39 per cent of the 3,000 employees involved said they were less stressed at the end of the programme. And overall, their mental and physical health had improved considerably. — ETX Studio
