Staff report better work-life balance
The overwhelming majority of companies that participated in the world’s largest experiment on a four-day work week have chosen to adopt the new schedule, providing evidence that it could be a viable option for the broader UK economy. Out of the 61 companies that took part in the six-month trial, 56 have continued with the four-day work week, with 18 making it a permanent change.
The results of the study will be presented to Members of Parliament on Tuesday, with the aim of encouraging policymakers to establish a 32-hour workweek for all employees in the UK. According to Joe Ryle, the director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, the trial represents a significant milestone, with notable improvements in employee well-being across a broad range of industries and with business productivity either remaining stable or increasing in almost all cases.
“We are very satisfied with the outcomes and expect that they demonstrate the need for implementing a four-day workweek on a larger scale. Hopefully, this can be accomplished soon.”
David Mason, the Chief Product Officer at Rivelin Robotics, a company that took part in the trial and intends to adopt the new approach, expressed his optimism that offering a shorter workweek will aid in future hiring.
“It is certainly a factor that sets us apart from the norm.”
Last June, a UK pilot program was launched by 4 Day Week Global, a non-profit organization based in New Zealand and managed by the thinktank Autonomy and a group of academics. Participating companies were provided with workshops and mentorship to assist in reconsidering their working practices. Employees were given the option to work four days instead of five while maintaining their current salary.
Since the previous summer, employees at Rivelin Robotics have been enjoying a weekend that lasts for three days. David Alatorre, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, said:
“Our aim was to create a culture within the company that prioritizes well-being, ensuring that everyone is well-rested and has a healthy work-life balance.”
The company is located in a vibrant industrial facility near the River Don, and specializes in creating robots that expertly complete 3D-printed components for various industries, such as aerospace and medicine. After discussing with their colleagues, they chose to observe Fridays as their day off and to prolong the working hours on the other weekdays from 8am to 5:30pm.
Alatorre and Mason acknowledged that the transition was not entirely trouble-free. The company is a small, but rapidly expanding start-up with a current workforce of only eight employees, and there were occasions when work simply could not be postponed.
“We faced some challenges during a trade show, which was a significant launch for one of our products, as some of the critical parts were delayed, and we couldn’t proceed with the process until they arrived,” Mason explained. “At that moment, it was impossible for us to divide the workload.”
He further stated that even though it was quite common for them to receive work-related communication on a Friday, he stressed that he, along with Alatorre and the company’s founder, Robert Bush, often manage the situation to avoid putting additional pressure on their employees.
“Having the flexibility to work on Fridays is a significant benefit for me, as I can spend part of the day working from home while doing other things like walking the dog or going for a climb,” he remarked. “Even though I may end up working some hours, having that option is highly valuable to me.”
According to Alatorre, some employees expressed their preference for having five shorter workdays instead of working four longer days, and the management team is currently considering how to cater to various working patterns as the company expands.
Overall, roughly 2,900 workers throughout the UK have participated in the trial. Surveys conducted among the employees both before and after the pilot revealed that 39% of them experienced lower stress levels, 40% reported having better quality sleep, and 54% found it easier to balance their work and home life. Moreover, the number of sick leaves taken by the employees plummeted by around 66%, while the participating companies also saw a 57% decrease in staff turnover compared to the same time frame the previous year.
Most companies indicated that they were content with the productivity and business outcomes during the trial duration. For instance, Charity Bank in Tonbridge, Kent, which also took part in the pilot program, is planning to continue offering a four-day week to its 70 workers.
At Charity Bank, which is a social lender, workers were given the option to take either Monday or Friday off, and the trial included a “crash course in productivity improvements,” according to the bank’s CEO, Ed Siegel.
“For approximately two-thirds of our team, it has been amazing and highly effective. They have seamlessly adjusted to working four days a week and are really satisfied with it. It has had a significant impact on the morale, and people have started to view the company in a much more favorable light.”
For some of the Charity Bank employees, including senior staff members who are used to working long hours during the week, Siegel explained that the bank was attempting to convey the message that “this is a voluntary decision, and we want to help you make the transition if you choose to work four days a week.” Siegel stated that he was among those who fell into this group.
The Royal Society of Biology in London has restructured the work schedule for its 38 employees, allowing them to take either a Monday or a Friday off while extending the working day by one hour from seven to eight hours. According to the organization’s chief executive, Mark Downs, the key to maintaining productivity while reducing work hours was to rethink how the organization approached its work. He said that “you can’t simply reduce your working hours and maintain productivity without doing things differently.”
Downs said that during the pilot, there were instances when staff needed to be flexible, such as attending essential meetings on their non-working day. However, surveys conducted among employees had overwhelmingly positive results.
“I have to admit, without overstating it, it was the most positive response I think I’ve ever had from any staff survey. It was popular across the board. Everyone was very, very supportive of it,” he said.
When he asked stakeholders at the Royal Society of Biology if they had noticed any decrease in service, “the answer was a resounding no.”
The 4 Day Week Campaign aims to encourage more employers to adopt the four-day workweek and is lobbying the government to promote the shift by enacting legislation that would give employees the right to request a compressed schedule.
Andrew Barnes, founder of the campaign, stated:
“The economy no longer requires us to work five days a week as it did 100 years ago when the shift to a five-day week occurred. The economy has since transformed.”