4-day work week pilot so successful, all participating companies sticking to it

The country’s largest 4-day work week pilot was a huge success, according to the first published research results, with companies rating their experience a 9 out of 10, and none returning to a 5-day week post-trial.

In addition, the companies saw revenue rising to an average of 38% compared to the same period in the previous year.

The extra day off became so valuable to workers, that 70% say they will demand a 10-50% pay increase to return to 40 hours.

New research published last week reveals that companies that gave their staff an extra day off per week, with no reduction in pay, experienced increased revenue alongside reduced absenteeism and resignations.

Workers felt less stressed and burnt out and reported higher rates of life satisfaction, while the findings also show significant declines in the duration and frequency of commuting, plus other positive environmental outcomes.

None of the participating organisations will return to a five-day week.

“Given the looming mental health crisis South Africa faces, we are very encouraged that the results show that the 4-day week can truly and positively impact wellbeing in the workplace,” Karen Lowe, director of 4-Day Week South Africa, says.

She emphasises the exceptional improvements in health and wellbeing metrics of this trial.

ALSO READ: These South African companies to start trialling 4-day work week

First 4-day week results are out

More than 30 companies and almost 1 000 employees in countries including the US, Ireland and Australia, recently concluded a six-month 4-day week pilot program, coordinated by non-profit 4-Day Week Global.

Companies rated the trial a 9.0 out of 10, expressing extreme satisfaction with their overall productivity and performance.

Revenue increased by more than a percentage point each month, with a total rise of 8% during the trial. When compared to the same six months in 2021, it rose by 38%.

Employees also rated the pilot highly, with 97% saying they want to continue with a 4-day week.

When asked about the monetary value of their extra day off, 70% said their next job would need to offer between 10 to 50% more pay for them to go back to a five-day schedule, with at least one in ten saying no amount of money could make them go back.

Their health and well-being also improved, as Wen Fan, associate professor at Boston College, explains: “A wide range of well-being metrics showed significant improvement, including stress levels, burnout, fatigue and work-family conflict.”

She says employees’ physical and mental health also improved, alongside satisfaction across multiple domains of life which may be linked to people getting better sleep and more exercise.

Lead researcher, professor Juliet Schor of Boston College, noted an important outcome.

“We were encouraged that participants did not experience an increase in the intensity of work, suggesting that the work re-organisation strategy succeeded and performance was not achieved via speedup, which is neither sustainable nor desirable.”

ALSO READ: Will the 4-day work week improve your wellness? We may soon find out

4-day week transformed business and employees

Speaking about their experience, pilot participant Jon Leland, chief strategy officer at crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, said the 4-day week was transformative for his business and employees.

“Staff are more focused, more engaged and more dedicated, helping us hit our goals better than before. Greater employee retention and faster hiring has been surprisingly powerful in driving improved business outcomes too. We achieve more as an organization, while giving people time to start new creative projects rest and be with their families. It is a true win-win.”

Rod Lacey, chief people officer at software company simPRO, added after moving to this new way of working, “we found that by truly taking care of our employees, listening to them and showing them that their input and work is valued, it comes back to simPRO everyday by way of dedicated commitment, retention and exceptional customer service and support.”

Reflecting on the journey so far, 4-Day Week Global co-founder, Charlotte Lockhart, believes this is only the beginning.

“When our co-founder Andrew Barnes and I first witnessed the benefits of the 4-day week in 2018, we knew we had to share our learnings.

“The results laid out in this report further prove what we already know and we look forward to expanding this research over the coming months, as other organisations from a range of industries and economies make the switch to reduced-hour, output-focused working. Change is imminent and I commend all involved in this trial for making history happen.”