Four-Day Work Week Boosts Employee Wellbeing, Pilot Study Shows

A recent pilot study spanning six countries has revealed significant improvements in employee wellbeing following the implementation of a four-day work week. Conducted over six months, the trial involved approximately 2,900 workers from 141 organisations, all of which reduced their working hours by 20 per cent without cutting pay. The findings suggest that this innovative approach could mitigate rising rates of burnout, anxiety, and depression among employees.

Countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States participated in the study, which was published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour. This research adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that shorter work weeks can enhance both employee health and overall productivity.

Prior to the trial, participating companies underwent a two-month period of training aimed at improving efficiency and collaboration among workers. Following this, the four-day work week was adopted for six months. According to the study, employees reported notable reductions in burnout and enhancement in both mental and physical health, alongside higher job satisfaction levels.

After examining the outcomes, researchers found that employees who participated in the reduced work week experienced consistent benefits. “It just seems that the wellbeing effects are fairly uniform across companies, across nations, across employees,” stated Wen Fan, an associate professor of sociology at Boston College. The more hours employees reduced, the better they felt about their jobs and mental health.

In contrast, a control group from twelve US companies that did not reduce their work weeks showed no significant changes in employee wellbeing. The study demonstrated that employees who worked fewer hours reported fewer sleep issues and reduced fatigue, underscoring the critical link between adequate sleep and overall health.

Interestingly, the average work week for participants was around 40 hours before the trial, meaning a shift to 32 hours aligns closely with existing standards in countries like the Netherlands, where the average work week is already established at 36 hours across the European Union. Countries such as Spain are now exploring similar reductions in work hours to relieve pressure on their workforce.

Despite these encouraging findings, the study acknowledges certain limitations. Workers self-reported their wellbeing, raising the possibility that they might have exaggerated improvements to support the trial’s continuation. Additionally, as companies opted into the study voluntarily, it is possible that the results reflect a bias towards organisations already committed to employee flexibility and wellbeing.

“There’s no evidence of any falling back in terms of employee wellbeing or in terms of the performance,” noted Brendan Burchell, a sociologist at the University of Cambridge, who has analyzed similar projects in the UK but did not participate in this research.

As the four-day work week gains traction, the implications for various work cultures remain to be seen. Fan pointed out that the prevailing organisational culture in many industries often prioritises longer hours, which may pose challenges to broader adoption of reduced work weeks.

Despite the need for further exploration, Burchell characterized the study as a pivotal piece of research. “This is an absolutely key paper that’s going to be a game-changer,” he remarked, highlighting the potential for four-day work weeks to reshape employment practices in the wake of the pandemic. The momentum toward shorter work weeks reflects a growing recognition of the importance of employee wellbeing in fostering a more productive workforce.