Currently, over 70 UK companies are half way through what is being considered the largest four-day workweek experiment.
Ran by nonprofit 4 Day Week Global, a new survey from the organization shows that 88% of participants believe their shorter work schedules are working well, while 78% said the transition was “seamless.”
Although O’Connor states that one in five employers drop out of similar trials due to the convoluted nature of the transition, the main reason for companies exiting during the planning phase is due to “overthinking” and “getting cold feet.
“They start trying to fix every possible problem or issue before they actually run their trial, which is impossible, because a lot of the productivity gains and process improvements are ground up and led by teams,” said O’Connor.
Of the participants in this experiment, 86% have already said they will likely continue operating with this shorter workweek after the pilot is completed in November.
While just 2% found the arrangement challenging, 49% reported an improvement in productivity and 46% showed their productivity being stable.
“It’s extremely encouraging to see that,” said Joe O’Connor, CEO of 4 Day Week Global. “We would see it as a big productivity success if productivity stayed the same.”
