The results are in from the UK’s largest four-day work week trial and 92% of organisations who participated have said they will continue with it.

Comprising 61 companies across 30 sectors and almost 3000 workers, the trial took place from June – December 2022 and saw employees reduce their work week from a standard five-day week to four days, with no loss of pay.

Companies saw reduced turnover and no reduction in revenue or productivity, whilst staff were happier, healthier and more satisfied in their roles across a variety of measures.

What were the findings of the trial?

For companies:

• 56 of the 61 companies that participated are continuing with a four-day week.
• Participating companies reported an average 35% increase in revenue compared to the same period in previous years.
• Employee turnover decreased by 57%.
• Participating companies scored their business performance and productivity during the trial at 7.5/10 on average.
• Overall experience of the trial was rated 8.3/10 by participating companies.

For employees:

• 39% of employees said they were less stressed.
• 71% reported reduced burnout.
• Levels of anxiety, fatigue and sleep problems decreased among participants.
• Mental and physical health improved.
• 54% said it was easier to balance work with household chores.
• 60% found it easier to manage their care responsibilities with their work.
• 1 in 6 employees said no amount of money would ever convince them to return to five days a week.

However, the results also found that some staff were doing work on their day off, with 15% reporting an increase in working hours and 13% experiencing no change to before the experiment.

Of the five companies who will not be continuing with a four-day week, two said they are still considering some form of shorter working hours.

Find out more about the trial and its results here.

The My HR Hub team can offer an array of bespoke, creative solutions for managing the health and wellbeing of your employees. Get in touch to set up a free exploratory call.