17 companies trial four-day working week for staff - with very unexpected result

Thousands of people could see their working week cut back to just four instead of five days after a huge trial was declared a complete success. The latest test of the working pattern saw 17 companies allow 1,000 employees to work just four days a week, without losing any pay.

And as the trial ended, all 17 said they would continue the system - and encourage others to do the same. The five-day, 40-hour workweek became standard in many countries during the early 20th century, thanks in part to campaigns by labour unions and legislation.

But economists have long said better conditions and increased automation would allow people to strike a better work-life balance. The latest national four-day working week pilot, involving 17 companies and nearly 1,000 workers, has ended with a 100% success rate, it was announced on Thursday.

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The six-month trial began last November and was organised by the 4 Day Week Foundation. Organisations were able to maintain service levels and key performance indicators whilst observing several benefits for employee wellbeing, said the report.

Almost two-thirds of workers registered a reduction in how often they experienced burnout, two in five found an improvement in their mental health and almost half said they felt more satisfied with life. Joe Ryle, campaign director of the 4 Day Week Foundation, said: “With greater knowledge, expertise and experience of what it takes to successfully implement a four-day week, we’re really pleased to see such a high success rate.

“People are happier, businesses are thriving, and there’s no turning back. We’ve proved it again and again: a four-day week works and should now be implemented more widely across the economy.”

Alan Brunt, chief executive of Bron Afon Community Housing with 420 staff, who are extending their pilot further, said: “Almost as soon as we started talking about it, our teams got together to set about making it work which was brilliant.

“We’ve closely monitored our performance and customer satisfaction. We’re happy with the results so far and will continue to make sure we’re delivering for our customers. I expect that most organisations will be doing this in the next 10 years or so.”