A four-day work week UK trial has proven to be a massive success as the majority of companies involved have opted to continue with a four-day work week into the future.
A four-day work week UK trial has been hailed as a success and a “major breakthrough“ as most UK firms have opted to continue with a four-day work week for their staff.
The new working pattern is being continued by many as they found it beneficial to the employees and the employers, with many saying that they found the work-life balance to be much improved too.
The four-day work week UK trial – 61 companies took part
The four-day workweek trial in the UK involved 61 companies who took part in a six-month trial of having four-day workweeks for their employees.
56 companies who took part have extended the four-day workweek trial, with 18 already making it permanent.
The findings of the report will be presented to MPs this week as part of an ongoing push to convince politicians to allow all workers in Britain to have a 32-hour week.
Director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, Joe Ryle, called the trial a “major breakthrough moment”, adding: “Across a wide variety of sectors, wellbeing has improved dramatically for staff; and business productivity has either been maintained or improved in nearly every case.
“We’re really pleased with the results, and hopefully, it does show that the time to roll out a four-day week more widely has surely come.”
Sheffield-based Rivelin Robotics took part in the trial and plan to persevere with it. Chief product officer, David Mason, hoped that offering a shorter working week would help entice potential employees.
“It’s certainly something that makes us a little bit different from the average”, explained Mason.
Having a four-day work week – offers many benefits to both employers and employees
Among the 2,900 workers who participated in the trial, 39% reported feeling less stressed.
Moreover, 40% said they slept better, and 54% said that they found it easier to balance home and work responsibilities.
Other exciting statistics revealed by the survey were that the number of sick days taken during the trial period fell by approximately two thirds. Furthermore, 57% fewer staff left their positions compared with the same period last year for participating firms.
Overall, most companies and employees reported that they were satisfied with the productivity and business performance levels over the trial period.
The 4 Day Week Campaign – encouraging employers to make significant change
The 4 Day Week Campaign has said it would now like to see many more employers implement a four-day week and are lobbying the government to change legislation to request a four-day pattern.
Of the changing working landscape, Ryle said: “The economy doesn’t need us to be working five days a week anymore. It was 100 years ago, the shift to a five-day week, and the economy’s transformed since then.”