When the initiative concludes, only half of the British businesses experimenting with a four-day workweek will maintain the same schedule.
In June, more than 3,300 employees from 70 organizations and charities participated in an unique six-month experiment in which they received full pay for 80% of their time while agreeing to create 100% of their typical production. If successful, the experiment might revolutionize the working life of Britons.
However, somewhat more than half of the participants (41) answered to an opinion poll at the halfway point.
Despite the fact that nearly nine out of ten respondents said they would keep the scheme in place beyond the trial period, indicating that roughly half have deemed the four-day week a success, only 15% of those surveyed claimed that productivity had skyrocketed, while the rest reported either no change or a “slight improvement” in output.
There is no information for the firms and charities that did not respond to the survey (29).
Previously, companies reported rota turmoil and personnel confusion after implementing the four-day week, and managers expressed skepticism that the strategy would survive the trial term.
In June, more than 3,300 employees from 70 companies and nonprofits participated in a daring six-month trial in which they received full pay for 80% of their time while agreeing to deliver 100% of their typical production (stock photo used)
Last month, Samantha Losey, the CEO of communications firm Unity, told The Telegraph, ‘It’s increasingly likely that we won’t continue. One of the things that has struck me is whether or not our company is mature enough to withstand a four-day workweek.
It is difficult because the majority of the world does not observe four-day weeks. We agreed to complete the pilot, but I’m unsure if this is the correct decision for us in the long run. Undoubtedly, it has been a difficult ride.’
Participating businesses and organizations include the Royal Society of Biology, the hipster London brewery Pressure Drop, the Southampton computer game producer Yo Telecom, the Manchester medical devices company, and the Norfolk fish and chip store.
How heavy is a four-day week? Here are the pluses and minuses:
Pros
Fewer workplace distractions
longer hours do not necessarily result in more productivity
Increased psychological and physical health
Less stress is experienced by parents with children.
Possibly reduced carbon footprint
Cons
Not every industry may participate.
It may exacerbate existing disparities.
The cost risk for businesses is costly.
Workers may work the same hours regardless.
Difficult team administration
Adecco Group is the origin of the data
The trial is being conducted by the non-profit 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with the left-leaning think tank Autonomy, researchers at Boston College and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and the lobby group 4 Day Week Campaign, which advocates for a 32-hour work week with no reduction in pay.
MailOnline has revealed that corporations and non-profits are paid up to £10,000 to participate.
Nearly half (46%) of individuals who responded to the study indicated that productivity had not increased, while a third (34%) reported just a “slight” improvement and only 15% a “substantial” one.
On a scale from one to five, with one denoting ‘very seamless,’ more than a quarter (22%) of respondents did not evaluate the transition to a reduced work week as one or two.
Even among those who now say the four-day week worked for them, the shift was not easy.
Nicci Russell, managing director of water efficiency organization Waterwise, stated to The Times, ‘It wasn’t a stroll in the park at first, but no significant change ever is.
Some weeks are easier than others, and things like vacations might make it difficult to fit everything in, but we’re much more accustomed to the routine now.
The CEO of 4 Day Week Global, Joe O’Connor, admitted: ‘We are learning that for many it is a relatively smooth transition, while for others there are some understandable obstacles, particularly among those with relatively fixed or inflexible practices, systems, or cultures that date back to well before the turn of the last century.
While for most organizations the pilot leads to many positive discoveries and outcomes – many businesses have more flexible and nimble employees and teams than their leaders realize at the outset – friction can arise for others due to a variety of factors, many of which can be addressed or substantially improved during the pilot itself.
Critics claim that the concept would be impractical in customer-facing or 24-hour-a-day businesses, as well as in situations when overtime payments would incur additional costs for employers or the taxpayer.
Previously, a trial of the four-day working week in France revealed that workers put in the same number of hours while having one less day, and that firms had to compensate them for the additional time.
Claire Daniels, chief executive officer of Tribe Media (left), and Nicci Russell, managing director of the water efficiency organization Waterwise (right)
Samantha Losey is the CEO of the communications company Unity. She forewarned last month that she would likely not prolong the experiment beyond six months.
Some economists have also asserted that working less hours will lower the level of life, while the leader of one of Spain’s most influential business organisations has referred to it as “insanity.”
In response to the pandemic, more employees are working from home and embracing more flexible hours as opposed to the traditional nine-to-five, five-day workweek.
Sharon Platts of Outcomes First Group, in contrast, stated, ‘The four-day week [trial] has been transformative for us thus far.
“We are ecstatic that productivity and output have increased, and that we have also been able to make it work in our education and care services, which we anticipated to be much more difficult.”
‘While it’s still early days, our confidence in continuing beyond the trial is growing and the impact on colleague wellbeing has been palpable.’
Moreover, Claire Daniels, CEO of Trio Media, reported that her company’s income had increased throughout the trial, from £450,000 last year to £650,000 this year.
She continued, “The four-day week trial has been a tremendous success for us thus far.” Our company’s financial performance has improved by 44% as a result of an increase in team wellbeing and continued high productivity.
Kyle Lewis, co-director of Autonomy, asserted that the trial will produce information that “may assist future four-day week considerations by other organizations and industries.”