COVID-19 has aged people years, with stay at home orders in abundance, many people across the United States have started to contemplate their work life.
One being that even at home they could get as much work done in a four-day work setting in 32-hours as much as they had previously in the traditional role of five-day work week in a 40-hour work week.
But does the science back up the question that employees are asking employers?
Taking a deep dive into the data, statistically companies that started implementing a four-day week showed that:
- Microsoft Japan saw a 40% increase in productivity
- 63% of businesses in the UK said a four-day work week helped attract and retain talent according toForbes Magazine
- 3 out of every four respondents surveyed by SimpleTexting stated that they would consider leaving their current job if offered a position to work a four-day work week (read morehere)
- According to Perceptual Guardian they saw that prior to the change, only 54% of respondents said they had a grasp on a work-life balance. At the end of the trial period, it increased to 78%. It was also noted that employees' stress levels decreased by 7%.
- On the business side, the Perceptual Guardian’s trial saw a 20% rise in workplace production.
- Research byHenley Business School reported that companies that adopted a four-day work week found that 78% of their staff were happier, 70% were less stressed and 62% of people took fewer days off due to illness.
- Iceland researchers found that when a four-day work week was implemented without a pay cut, "worker wellbeing dramatically increased across a range of indicators, from perceived stress and burnout, to health and work-life balance.” (read morehere)
- In the UK, a savings of around £92 billion annually was made from companies moving to a 4 day work week alone!(read morehere)
Still not sure about the statistics? Don’t take our word for it.
Chase Celmons, a Customer Support Team Lead at Basecamp, said, “Thirty-two hours forces us to prioritize what we work on. It’s not about working faster, but working smarter.”
“The experience of most companies that try this is that productivity doesn’t stay the same, it actually goes up.”, said Andrew Barnes, CEO at Perceptual Guardian.
With over 92% of people in a survey conducted byQualtrics, a 5 day work week was called “out of date”, it might be time to start considering whether a four day work week is in your company's cards. And no worries, you aren’t the only one going through this transformative process either.4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit associated with the University of Oxford, found within the past year an increase of businesses participating in their transition program in all stages, some startups with only 25 people and some large corporations with hundreds of employees.
Want to learn more about how a four day work week could look like for your company? Check out thisarticle to find out more.