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The pilot program has been hailed as a "resounding success" after employees reported improved well-being anda majority of the participating companies said they would keep the change.
Employees at companies that adopted a four-day work week without pay cuts said they were happier and healthier, while revenues did notfall
At the conclusion of the six-month trial, 56 of those companies, or 92%, decided to stick with a four-day work week, and 18 did so permanently.
The companies that participated were from a wide range of sectors and sizes and were permitted to design a four-day week policy tailored to their own needs, with the onlyconditions being that pay was not cut and employees were given a "meaningful" reduction in work time.
A shorter work week was found to improve employees' well-being. Before and after data showed that 39% of employees reported feeling less stressed, while 71% had reduced levels of burnout at the end of the trial. Surveyed employees said they also felt less anxious, less fatigued and were sleeping better.
Employees also said their work-life balance improved, but the benefits were not limited to workers.
Administrative data from the participating companies showed that revenues rose by 1.4% on average, weighted by company size, during the trial period. When compared to a similar period from previous years, organizations with a shorter work weekactually reportedrevenue increases of 35% on average— which the study authors said indicated healthy growth at the same time there was a reduction in work.
Data also showed employees were much less likely to leave the companies that participated in the trial program,with staff losses dropping by 57% in the six-month trial period.
"Results are largely steady across workplaces of varying sizes, demonstrating this is an innovation which works for many types of organizations," said Professor Juliet Schor of Boston College, the lead researcher.
Some employees enjoyed the change so much they said keeping the extra day off each week would be more important than a raise. Fifteen percent of employees said that noamount of money would induce them to return to a five-day schedule.
Charlotte Lockhart, co-founder and managing director of 4 Day Week Global, said the results were encouraging and that results from similar pilot programs around the globe would be forthcoming.
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