The four-day working week trial – did it work?

Following the world’s biggest four-day working week trial which took place in 2022, we examine the results from the 61 companies taking part over the past 12 months.

So, did it work?

The report entitled Making it Stick, revisited the companies to track its effectiveness going forward.

The report found that all of the managers and CEOs who were consulted felt that the trial had a ‘very positive’ or ‘positive’ impact on their organisation.

It also found that 54 of the 61 companies that took part have continued with the four-day work week after the trial, and 31 companies have already made the four-day week a permanent feature.

What, if anything, changed?

Staff wellbeing was reported as being the biggest change, with 50 of the 61 companies stating that the shorter working week had seen a big improvement in their staff wellbeing. One company stated that their organisation was stronger, and their staff were happier and wanted the four-day week to become the norm.

One of the co-authors of the report, Brendan Burchell, a professor of social sciences at the University of Cambridge, stated that the positive results were a huge step forward in making the four-day week the norm, rather than the exception.

Almost half of the companies (28) had reported a more positive way of working and productivity, which has led to maintained or increased overall performance. The most widely reported benefit of the shorter working week was increased efficiency, stated 23 companies, with 20 of the companies having reported increased levels of focus and productivity.

A further 8 companies said that the shorter week had led to smarter ways of working, reducing unnecessary meetings and being more organised.

Work intensity was found to have decreased and was lower than before the trial, and many companies reported that there was a big improvement in work-life balance after the trial as workers continued to incorporate the four-day week into their lives.

What about the companies where it didn’t quite succeed?

Some companies approached the trial in a different way – employees had to meet certain targets to get their day off. This seemed to result in additional stress to meet deadlines and unpredictability for employees to be able to plan their day off. In some cases, it also created tension and resentment if it was perceived that some employees hadn’t ‘pulled their weight’. However, companies that faced issues were very much in the minority.

It was also found that three out of five members of the general public expects the four-day week to be the norm by 2030. In addition, half of those asked said that it would be likely to reduce staff turnover and improve recruitment prospects.

Overall, it seems that people think the four-day week would be a much bigger boost to their quality of life than a large pay rise would give them.

Don’t fancy the four-day week? What about a six-day week then?

You may be surprised to read that Greece has introduced a six-day week, supposedly to boost economic growth and productivity. This new legislation came into effect on 1 July 2024.

The idea behind this is so that employers can request employees who work in private businesses, providing round-the-clock services, to work an additional day per week.

These employees can either work two hours extra per day or work an additional 8-hour shift and in return they will be paid 40% more, and 115% of their regular income if they work on a holiday.

What about the possibility of increased pressure, stress and burnout?

It could easily be said that a six-day week is a major backward step in terms of wellbeing and work-life balance. A longer working week doesn’t give people the time to rest and re-charge, and although companies may see an improvement in productivity and efficiency initially, it will inevitably lead to increased stress, increased presenteeism, more errors, decreased motivation/engagement and eventual burnout.

This new legislation doesn’t seem to take into account that employees need rest in order to be refreshed for the next working week and will certainly not go any way towards eliminating an over-worked workforce. To say nothing of the poor employer/employee relationship it is likely to create.

A six-day working week? I think not!