What Can We Learn From the Largest 4-Day Work-Week Trials!

The 4 day work week!

Let me be honest--if there were a way I were sure I could do as much work in 4 days as I can in my regular 5 and a half day work-week, I would leap towards it.

Well, the results from the largest experiment on the 4 day workweek are here. And I have to say, the outcomes give us many reasons to try this out here at Unqbe .

The 4 Day Work Week Trials Explained

Starting early 2022, a non-for-profit called the '4 day week global' worked with professors at two academic institutions: The University of Cambridge and The Boston College to study the impact of a 4 day work week on productivity and employee experience.

Key to the definition of a 4 day work week is that the work hours/ days are reduced without loss of pay.

(For those of us who have worked long enough-think back to the transition from the 6 day work week to the 5 day work week)

The trials lasted 6 months from June 2022-December 2022 and were preceded with a series of workshops and coaching to help participants prepare. 61 companies and 2900 workers participated in this study, making it one of the largest trials of its kind.

Key Outcome 1: Employee Wellbeing Skyrocketed

This is where the results of the trials are the most spectacular.

Almost 40% of the employees were less stressed and over 70% felt they had experienced less burnout by the end of the trial.

The reduction in working hours meant a very large spillover into greater satisfaction with their personal lives. Over 60% of employees felt it was much easier to combine their family lives with their work life now. Interestingly, they also felt the spillover in being able to better manage their household finances, parenting responsibilities, and other relationships.

About 40% reported better sleep through the trial--so interesting!

For several this impact was significant enough, that they would even prefer a pay cut to going back to working a 5 day work week. They were hooked.

Key Outcome 2: Business Outcomes Stayed Positive

Now this is where things get interesting.

During the period of the trial, the participating organisations reported healthy business outcomes with revenues staying steady, and when compared to past periods a revenue growth of about 35%.

This is indeed surprising. I am not sure what were the key drivers for this. Could it be greater efficiency? Could it be the higher rates of employee satisfaction leading them to just be better at whatever they did? Not sure at this time.

Here are some of the ways in which employees reported managing productivity.

One thought that kept recurring to my mind as I read the report--could this be part of the Intelligent Work Re-design so many management scholars are pushing towards?

Key Outcome 3: More Than Half Reported an Increase in Abilities

Okay, the increase is just modest--yet it is surprising. How was it that more than half of those participating in the study believed that they had become better at their work?

Was this because with a calmer mind they were able to think better? Was this because they simply gave it their all in the hours that they actually worked? Not sure, and yes, the increase is modest--still this is quite intriguing.

Key Outcome 4: Proof of Concept is Highly Successful

Having participated in this trial, over 90% said they would like to continue working with a 4 day work- week. This is pretty significant. But frankly--I am not surprised.

If I were to better be able to manage my relationships, money and even sleep better--why would I ever want to go back to earlier?

And interestingly enough of the 61 companies that participated, 56 are continuing with the 4 day work week.

What does this mean for the world of work?

It is hard to say. As a controlled study with very very positive outcomes, this certainly provides food for thought.

I am hoping that more and more organizations will do small pilots to explore ways of making this work.

One of the things I found very positive about this trial (and not just the outcomes), was that before launching the pilot, each company did about 2 months of prep. This included workshops and coaching & mentoring. While I do not know what was covered in these discussions, we do know that many many employees view many workplace activities as inefficient.

Greater thought to how time is being spent may be a great way towards 'intelligent work re-design'.

At the same time, I am sure getting the opportunity to participate in a trial like this will be viewed by many as a privilege.

I am sure the participating employees felt very motivated to making this experiment successful. These higher levels of motivation combined with better sleep, better relationships, and general wellbeing may have gone a long way to the positive business outcomes.

The future of work gets more interesting by the day--that is for sure.

As for me, I we will seriously consider trying this out as pilot over the next few months.

References:

1. 4 day week global (the official report). https://www.4dayweek.com/
2. How far reaching could the f day work week be? Sloan Management Review here: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-far-reaching-could-the-four-day-workweek-become/

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(About me: I lead Unqbe, a think-tank and advisory firm around building future organisations. We track change through commissioned and primary research. We help leadership teams build Workplace 2.0 with a current focus on building level 3 cultures; building future-ready competencies; and future-oriented people practices.)