The world’s largest trial of a four day working week – conducted by a team of social scientists at the University of Cambridge, alongside their counterparts from Boston University and the think tank, Autonomy – has concluded, revealing results that will be music to the ears of employees across the UK.
The trial took place between June and December 2022, with over 2,900 employees from 61 UK companies – across a multitude of different industries – participating.
The type of companies represented included: financial services; online retailers; takeaways; animation studios; consultancies; housing providers; IT services; skincare brands; recruitment firms; hospitality; marketing; and healthcare.
The trial was designed to incorporate two months of preparatory workshops and mentoring for the employees, based upon the experiences of organisations that already operate on a shorter working week.
Over the course of the six-month trial, research teams surveyed participating employees, in addition to conducting “extensive interviews with employees and company CEOs before, during and after the six-month trial.”
Trial Results: Four Day Working Week
Discussing the four day working week trial, Dr David Frayne, Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, said: “The method of this pilot allowed our researchers to go beyond surveys and look in detail at how the companies were making it work on the ground”.
A snapshot of the research results revealed that:
- 71% of employees self-reported lower levels of “burnout”
- 39% of participants reported to being less stressed
- Self-reported levels of anxiety and fatigue decreased across workforces, while mental and physical health improved
- 62% of participants reported increased ability to balance their work life with their social life
- 60% of employees found it easier to combine work with care responsibilities
In addition to the above:
- There was a reduction in sick days of 65%
- The number of staff leaving participating companies fell by 57%
- Revenue changed marginally during the trial period (increasing by 1.4% on average, for the 23 organisations who provided this kind of data)
Giving feedback to the researchers, some senior managers also reported that:
- They believe that a four-day working week will give them a competitive advantage for recruitment in the post-COVID job market
- Due to staff suffering with health problems and bereavements over the pandemic, management felt a greater “moral responsibility” towards employees
- Some companies stopped work completely for a three-day weekend, while others staggered a reduced workforce over a week
Within Autonomy’s report of the trial result, which was subsequently presented to UK lawmakers, 92% of the participating companies (56 of 61) claim to be continuing with the four-day working week.
Moreover, 18 companies confirmed the changes to their working week have officially been made permanent.
Professor Brendan Burchell, who led the University of Cambridge research team, remarked that: “Before the trial, many questioned whether we would see an increase in productivity to offset the reduction in working time – but this is exactly what we found.
“Many employees were very keen to find efficiency gains themselves.”
Continuing, Burchell said that: “Almost everyone we interviewed described being overwhelmed with questions from other organisations in their industry that are interested in following suit.
“When we ask employers, a lot of them are convinced the four-day week is going to happen.
“It has been uplifting for me personally, just talking to so many upbeat people over the last six months. A four-day week means a better working life and family life for so many people.”
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