Would a reduced working week be right for your organisation? This week saw the publication of the results of a six-month-long trial of a four-day working week with no loss of pay in 75 organisations.
Following the trial, which was led by Four Day Week Global, Four Day Week Campaign and Autonomy, 92% of participating employers said that they will continue with the new working pattern.
The subsequent study highlighted a number of benefits for both employers and employees. For example, just under three-quarters (71%) reported lower levels of burnout among employees, 43% saw an improvement in their workforce’s mental health, 39% said employees were less stressed, and 37% reported improvements in employees’ physical health. Participants also reported reductions in fatigue, sleep difficulties, sickness absence and staff turnover.
These results are something of a shift from the views expressed by some participants halfway through the trial last August. At this point, some expressed doubts as to whether they would continue with the working pattern beyond the trial period, citing factors such as challenges with staff recruitment, difficulties on handover days and having too much work as a business for a four-day week to be sustainable.
Of course, while a four-day working week appears to be regarded favourably by those that participated in the trial, it will not be suited to every organisation. For those looking to move to this pattern of working, there are certainly challenges to overcome and decisions to be made; which days employees will work, how to ensure productivity does not drop if staff work fewer hours, what the move will mean for part-time workers, and how to calculate holiday pay entitlement, to name but a few.
Over the course of the week, I have seen several debates on various platforms on how best to structure a four-day week. For example, is it better to mandate that employees should not work on a Monday or Friday in order to extend their weekend, or should Wednesdays be the nominated non-working day in order to give staff the opportunity to rest and reset in the middle of their working week?
While the answer will differ depending on specific business needs, the very fact such conversations are now being openly encouraged is a positive sign, recognising the need to better balance business requirements with providing more flexibility for employees. Moving forward, I fully expect to see more of these discussions taking place.
Debbie Lovewell-Tuck
Editor
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