Is implementing a shorter workweek a smart move for organisations? A year into a pilot programme focused on UK companies, the four-day workweek is no longer a novelty for many of the entities taking part.
Autonomy Research Ltd.’s follow-up report from a previous study shows that the benefits of a four-day workweek are “not short-lived”. Both employees and senior staff continue to reap the rewards of greater work/life balance.
The report, Making It Stick: The UK Four-Day Week Pilot One Year On, found that at least 54 of the original 61 participating companies in the six-month trial conducted in 2022 still had a four-day workweek in place. Just more than half (31 companies) have changed to a permanent four-day workweek. The data in the Autonomy Research follow-up study was gathered in November and December 2023.
The most widely cited benefits of a shorter week include increased efficiency (38%), increased productivity (30%), and better organisational efficiency (13%), the report said.
“The improvements in physical and mental health, work/life balance, and general life satisfaction, as well as the reductions in burnout found at the end of the pilot have all been maintained one year on,” the report said, citing data from a staff survey from 47 participating companies.
Job satisfaction is slightly lower compared to the endpoint of the pilot but, nevertheless, remains significantly higher than it was before the introduction of a shorter week.
Work culture has also improved in many companies. Eighty-two per cent of organisations, according to the report, said that a shorter workweek had positive impacts on wellbeing, 50% reported reduced staff turnover, and 32% of companies said the policy has “noticeably improved” recruitment efforts.
Employees and leaders say that a four-day workweek increases efficiency. “When it comes to work lives, 87% of staff survey respondents reported the policy having a positive impact in their work as well,” the report said. “Interestingly, this number rose to 91% among managers — an important finding, which shows that introducing a shorter working week does not negatively impact those in charge of management.”
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