(AmericanProsperity.com) – British companies recently took part in a trial where they worked 4-day workweeks to see the effects of it and it turns out that most of these companies kept the 4-day workweek.
During a 6 month trial, 61 different British companies, as part of a study in 2022, decided to go down to a 4-day workweek in order to see the effects it would have on employees, production, and the company as a whole. Upon completion of the trial, it turns out that 89% of the companies said that the policy was still in place while 51% said they’d switched to the 4-day workweek permanently.
The results of the trial were released on Wednesday by the think tank Autonomy and it showed that the 4-day workweek had a positive impact according to CEOs and project managers. It’s said that more than 55% of them described the experience as “very positive.”
The positive impacts were said to have affected staff wellbeing, reducing staff turnover; there’s said to also have been an improvement in recruiting. Juliet Schor who authored the report said that the results were “excellent” and showed that the positive effects of working shorter hours were “Real and long-lasting.”
“Overall results have held and in some cases have even continued to improve,” Schor said. She continued, “Physical and mental health and work-life balance are significantly better than at six months. Burnout and life satisfaction improvements held steady. Job satisfaction and sleep problems nudged down a bit, but the bulk of the original improvement remains.”
In some cases, the 4-day workweek was given only if certain criteria were met and it’s said that this didn’t have the same positive effects as when implemented without requirements. It found that those who made a quota in order to get the extra day off found themselves with added stress to meet deadlines, feelings of inequality, and also resentment against others in the workplace.
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