Working 4-day week boosts improvements and benefits - report

A four-day work week demonstrates the benefits of reduced work hours, while improving the health and well-being of employees, according to findings of recent research released on Tuesday.

Recent research, conducted in the UK by non-profit 4 Day Week Global and think-tank Autonomy, showed that four-day working practices are "largely consistent with existing global evidence" and further demonstrate the benefits of reduced-hour and output-focused working.

With no loss of pay for workers, over 60 companies and almost 3,000 workers were analyzed as part of a six-month trial of a four-day week.

"Overall results show that almost every organisation will stick to a 4 day week post-trial, with 91% definitely continuing or planning to continue, and a further 4% leaning towards continuing. Only 4% of participants are definitely not continuing," according to findings.

The results also showed that the health and well-being of employees also improved, with significant increases observed in physical and mental health.

Rates of stress, burnout, and fatigue all fell, while problems with sleep declined during the trials.

"Companies rated their overall experience of the trials an average of 8.5/10, with business productivity and business performance each scoring 7.5/10," it added.

Lead researcher Juliet Schor from the Boston College of the US said the study demonstrates that this is an innovation that works for many types of organizations.

"We found that employees in non-profits and professional services had a larger average increase in time spent exercising, while those in construction/manufacturing enjoyed the largest reductions in burnout and sleep problems," she added.

4 Day Week Global said the recent trial brings the global campaign's total number of completed pilot participants to 91 companies and around 3,500 employees.