According to a report by 4 Day Week Global, a non-profit organization, workers would be able to maintain their productivity while reducing their weekly work time. This study, the largest ever conducted on the four-day week in Anglo-Saxon countries, shows that employees can accomplish the same amount of work in 33 hours as in 38, without compromising on quality or output! After six months of experimenting with the four-day week, participants were able to eliminate five hours from their week without any negative impact.
Fewer working hours, more efficient
A major reason for this efficiency is the reduction of non-essential tasks, such as the boring and overly frequent meetings that take up a large portion of work time during a five-day week. By eliminating these distractions, employees were able to focus more on uninterrupted and more productive work periods.
The report, which studied workers in the United States, Canada, Britain and Ireland over 18 months, also found that reduced working hours led to significant improvements in health, job satisfaction and reduced stress.
An experiment conducted earlier in 2023 in the UK, which involved more than 60 companies and around 3,000 employees, had already produced similar results. Companies reported a 65% reduction in sick leave, while 57% of employees were less likely to leave their jobs. This not only improves employee retention, but also promotes a 15% increase in company revenues during the trial period.
These results are promising, but the transition to a four-day week is not without its challenges. As Charlotte Morris, a partner at Esp Law, explains, implementing such an arrangement requires a change in employment contracts, which can be complex. Companies cannot simply change employees’ contractual terms unilaterally ” she says. Logistical questions also arise, particularly concerning part-time workers, the choice of rest day and the calculation of paid leave.
Additionally, while most employees benefit from a better quality of life and improved work-life balance, some are facing challenges. Pierre Lindmark, CEO of consulting firm Winningtemp, warns that for a minority of employees, the four-day week can generate anxiety. Having fewer days to complete the same workload can increase pressure and lead to isolation among some workers “, he explains. This raises the question of how to adapt to this new model for all types of jobs and business structures.
Still, the trend toward shorter working hours seems unstoppable. Nearly 89% of workers who tested the four-day week want to continue with the model, and no organization that participated in the trial expressed a desire to return to a five-day week. The benefits in terms of employee well-being and productivity make this option increasingly attractive to many companies around the world. Let your HR department know!
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