Most firms were convinced by revenue gains, drops in turnover and lower levels of worker burnout.
The largest-ever trial of the four-day work week has found that most U.K. companies participating are not returning to the five-day standard, and a third are ready to make that change permanent.
The study by 4 Day Week Global involved 61 organizations and about 2,900 workers, who voluntarily adopted truncated work weeks from June to December 2022.
Only three organisations decided to pause the experiment, and two are still considering shorter hours. The rest were convinced by revenue gains, drops in turnover and lower level of worker burnout that four is the new five when it comes to work days.
That thousands of employees adopted shorter schedules is notable given that the research occurred during trying economic circumstances that squeezed many British companies.
The U.K. data strongly confirms the findings of smaller trials of companies based in the U.S., Ireland and Australia. That research showed equivalent gains in revenue and employee productivity as well as drops in absenteeism and turnover.
The U.K. results are the second major data release in an ongoing series of four-day tests coordinated by 4-Day Week Global, a New Zealand-based nonprofit advocacy group.
After the pandemic, flexibility around work-life balance became essential for most companies to win and keep workers in a tight labour market. Now, some see the four-day workweek as a new weapon in the battle for talent.