British research shows that working a four-day week results in lower work intensity and higher job satisfaction.
The majority of UK companies that took part in the world's largest study 4 days a week made this policy permanent, with 100% of managers and CEOs saying it had a “positive” impact on their organization.
Approximately 61 organizations participated in the six-month pilot in 2022. The results, published on Thursday, revealed that a year later, 89% of companies still have a four-day working week, and more than half have made the change permanent.
The survey also showed that work intensity remains lower and job satisfaction is higher than before the pilot began, with nearly all employees (96%) saying their personal lives have improved and 86 % said they felt their performance at work had improved.
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked discussions and trials around four-day working weeks across Europe, causing employees and employers to reconsider the importance of workplace flexibility and benefits.
It means employees are entitled to work four days a week instead of five, receive the same salary, and receive the same benefits for the same amount of work.
A UK study found that companies cut working hours by an average of 6.6 hours, to 31.6 hours per week. We also found that taking a full day off is more effective than being “on call.”
“Physical and mental health and work-life balance improved significantly compared to six months. Improvements in burnout and life satisfaction continued steadily,” the report's authors wrote. said Juliet Scholl, a professor of sociology at Boston University.
Labor unions across Europe are calling on governments to introduce a four-day work week. However, so far governments have been hesitant to formally introduce a four-day work week.
In February 2022, Belgian employees gained the right to work a full four-day shift instead of the usual five, without losing pay.
A new law went into effect a year ago, allowing employees to decide whether to work four or five days a week.
However, this does not mean that their working hours will be reduced, but simply that their working hours will be condensed into fewer days.
The country's seven-party federal coalition agreement sets a target of 80% employment by 2030, which helps keep statutory pensions affordable and finances future tax cuts.
Meanwhile, in Scotland this month the government began testing a four-day working week for some public services.