The 4-day work week improves well-being

Four days dedicated to work instead of 5 without a pay cut… Here is the organization tested by 61 British companies for six months. And, it seems beneficial for both employees and companies that participated in this study conducted by the University of Cambridge in partnership with Boston College and the think tank Autonomy.

Reducing working hours reduces burnout

The 61 companies that agreed to give up a day’s work were spread across the UK and from widely different sectors ranging from financial services providers to animation studios and even a fish and chip restaurant.

“Some companies have completely halted work with a three-day weekend, while others have staggered a reduced workforce over a week. A restaurant calculated its 32-hour week over an entire year to have long opening hours in the summer, but much shorter in the winter A few companies participating in the trial issued conditions for reduced hours, including fewer vacation days, an agreement that staff could be called in the short term, or even a “conditional” week of four days (that is to say that the device continued only as long as the performance objectives were achieved, editor’s note)”explain the authors of the research in their communicated.

Regardless of the model chosen, the 20% reduction in working time seems beneficial. 71% of employees recognize a reduction in professional exhaustion (or burnout) and 39% say that they were less stressed compared to the start of the trial. Moreover, the number of days of sick leave fell by 65%.

Many respondents said they find it easier to balance work with family and social obligations: 60% of employees see an increased ability to combine paid work and family responsibilities, and 62% say it is easier to combine work and social life.

The 4-day week also has advantages for the company

For their part, companies do not suffer from these changes. The turnover of the latter barely changed during the trial period, even increasing slightly by 1.4% on average. In addition, there was a 57% drop in the number of resignations compared to the same period the previous year.

Thus, more than 9 out of 10 companies that participated in the pilot program (56 out of 61) indicated that they intended to continue the four-day work week. Eighteen even confirmed a permanent change.

“Prior to the trial, many wondered if we would see an increase in productivity to compensate for the reduction in working time. And that’s exactly what we found”notes sociologist Brendan Burchell, who led the research at the University of Cambridge.

“Many employees were very keen to find efficiencies themselves. Long meetings with too many people were cut short or abandoned altogether. Workers were much less inclined to kill time and actively sought technologies that improved their productivity”he adds.

Working fewer days a week brings a better balance

Alongside the questionnaires, the Cambridge researchers conducted in-depth interviews with employees and CEOs of the companies participating in the trials at different times.

Several senior executives said they see the four-day week as a rational response to the pandemic – and believe it will give them an edge when it comes to attracting talent in the post-Covid job market. Some have seen it as an attractive alternative to working from home, which they say jeopardizes corporate culture.

For the negative points, some employees expressed their concern about the intensification of the workload, others worried about the loss of conviviality due to the “concentration time” recalling that informal conversations in the offices often generate new ideas.

However, the four-day week convinced the majority. For sociologist Brendan Burchell, this pace of work could soon become the norm. “It has been uplifting for me, personally, to talk to so many optimistic people over the past six months. A four-day week means better work and family life for so many people.“, he concludes.