The results of the UK’s first four-day week study were published a few weeks ago. These are our top key findings from the report which suggests a relationship between shorter working hours and:
- Less stress – over a third of those who took part reported a lower level of stress and 71% reported lower levels of burnout symptoms including tiredness, exhaustion and frustration.
- Greater job satisfaction – corresponding with lower stress and burnout levels, nearly half of the employees questioned reported feeling more satisfied.
- Greater work/life balance and life satisfaction – unsurprisingly, participants had more time for enriching activities like hobbies and volunteering. Others enjoyed spending more time with their children, caring for relatives, doing housework and cooking.
That’s all well and good but how did reducing the working week to the equivalent of four days without reducing salary affect productivity and revenue? It found that there was an:
- Increase in revenue – 35% average across the organisations that took part (adjusted to allow for the timeframe of the study).
- Increase in productivity – 62% of employees reported an increase in the pace of their work.
What does this mean?
Involving 61 companies and 2,900 people, the trial confirms what we’ve always known:
- It’s not just possible to reduce undue pressure on employees while maintaining productivity, it’s the responsible thing to do.
- Human needs and business needs are not mutually exclusive.
- Burnout is not a natural side-effect of performance.
Read the full report here.
Next time we’ll be looking at what the results mean for you and how you can use the insight to meet your business goals.