A ground-breaking research that evaluated the viability of a four-day workweek in the UK has received resounding endorsement from the participating businesses. According to reports, nine out of ten businesses said they would be open to keeping the four-day work week rule after the initial six-month trial period.
According to reports, the study was carried out by academics from Boston College, Oxford, Cambridge, and 4 Day Week Global, a non-profit organisation that collaborated with the Autonomy think tank.
“Productivity remained the same or improved in the majority of workplaces in four-day week structure”: Researchers
According to the survey, more than 70 organisations from a variety of industries, including retail, technology, food, and hospitality, as well as smaller local businesses like fish shops, took part in the six-month examination. Within three months of the test’s that started in June, the businesses had adopted the new policy.
More than 3,300 employees from 41 different organisations took part in the midterm poll, according to researchers, and shared their opinions. Surprisingly, 88% of respondents believed the new system was succeeding, and 86% indicated they were inclined to continue working a four-day week when the experiment was over.
A rating scale of one to five was developed by the team, with one denoting a “extremely smooth” shift. The shorter work week received a one or two on the scale from 78% of the respondents. In the meantime, 46% of businesses claimed that productivity had remained constant.
“We are learning that for many it is a fairly smooth transition and for some, there are some understandable hurdles, especially among those that have comparatively fixed or inflexible practices, systems or cultures dating back well into the last century.” Joe O’Connor, chief executive of 4 Day Week Global was quoted as saying.
More such studies
Not just the aforementioned study has discovered advantages to a shorter work week. Notably, a UK-based app-based lender named Atom bank ran a similar test in August and discovered that it increased output and work satisfaction.
For the same income, the bank’s personnel had the option of switching from 37.5 hours spread across five days to 34 hours spread across four days.
91% of workers were able to complete the necessary work in four days, even though 92% of them adjusted the way they worked to finish the task at hand and take advantage of the three-day weekend.
