Is the four-day work week a scam? This is what the results from the trial in UK companies show

After a 6-month test, most companies which entered the worldwide 4 Day Week Global trial said they will keep the 4-day work week system after the end of the trial, as it apparently increases productivity and reduces sick days off.

These British companies have taken part in the world’s largest trial of a 4-day work week and have said they are very happy with it. The first results indicate this system could continue growing and reach most UK companies in the near future.

Working less AND better?

Of the 61 companies that started the trial, 56 have said they would keep this system in the near future, and 18 will keep it permanently. Overall, 2,900 workers across the UK have entered the trial since June.

The trial included two surveys, one at the beginning and one six months later, which showed interesting results: 39% of workers said they felt less stressed thanks to the new system, 40% slept better, and 54% said it was easier for them to enjoy a healthier work-life balance. Sick days fell by two thirds compared with numbers before the trial began. MPs will review the results next week as part of a national push for a 32-hour work week in the UK.

A 4 Day Week Global initiative

Joe Ryle, the Campaign Director for the 4 Day Week Campaign, has said the trial is a ‘major breakthrough moment’. He argues that employees’ well-being at work has a direct effect on productivity and morale. Workers have been found to take less sick days and work better in their four days at work than during the five-day previous system.

Certain companies argue the 4-day work week also helps them to recruit employees more easily, as it makes the company stand out from the competition and makes them more attractive to people looking for a job. The 61 companies which entered the trial were offered workshops and support from the non-profit organization 4 Day Week Global, an organization founded in New Zealand and supported by a team of academic researchers.

Workers kept their usual salary although they worked four days a week, as motivation to join the trial. Most companies have chosen Mondays or Fridays off, and to work from 8am to 5:30pm on the four days they come into the office. This system allows workers to enjoy a 3-day weekend and come back to work well-rested, and therefore more productive and happier at work.

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Our relationship with work

Times have changed since our grandparents' time, many no longer want to swear by work and postpone actually living. Now, people want to enjoy their free time and enjoy healthy work-life balance. A lot of us were brought up to believe we had to work hard and enjoy life when we retire. Today, our relationship with work is changing and waiting until retirement to enjoy life and free time doesn't seem like a great option.

The four-day work week allows people to enjoy their free time more, which makes them happier. This initiative could prove that happy workers are better workers.

Now, although the vast majority of workers have said they are very happy with the new system, some argued the four-day work week has its downside: longer hours during the four work days. Employees can choose to keep the new system, or go back to the old one, depending on whether they want to work longer days but enjoy a longer weekend, or work shorter days and be less tired when they get home.

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Sources used:

The Guardian: Four-day week: 'major breakthrough' as most UK firms in trial extend changes

KevinMD: Work hard now, enjoy later. Is it time to rethink that?