Several companies trialling a four-day working week have reported improved revenue and a few employees taking time off due to illness. The trial involves 33 companies and nearly 1000 employees from companies including Australia, the US and Ireland, so no loss of pay for employees – companies paid 100% of their salaries for 80% of their time. As a result, employees reported feeling less stressed and reduced burnout. Of the companies surveyed, few said they would return to a five-day workweek.

The Four-Day Workweek: A Game Changer for Businesses & Employees

The four-day workweek isn’t just for office jobs. Iceland, famous for its frozen food, trialled the same practice of reduced working hours between 2015 and 2019. The company said it was an overwhelming success and that hours were reduced without pay. This has since been rolled out to 86% of Iceland’s workforce. Continued research into shifting working patterns shows that reduced hours boost employees’ mental health and wellbeing, as well as their productivity. It also offers additional benefits, including reduced carbon emissions by reducing workplace travel.

Improved Mental Health

Since the 1980s, when computers became commonplace, many offices have done little to free up employees’ time. Worse, there has been a notable trend going in reverse; Americans now work more hours than I did in 2000. This is starting to take a toll on employee wellbeing and mental health. It doesn’t take an expert to realise (mainly due to the increase in technology) that the human brain is being asked to process a lot more information during the working week than it ever has in the past. This has led to huge increases in stress, anxiety and burnout.

National health services and families are particularly impacted, but employers are also bearing the cost. Deloitte’s estimate of the annual cost to employers of mental health issues is in the region of 45 billion in the UK alone. This is mostly due to absenteeism or worse, presentism, where a person is physically present at work but not engaged because they feel unwell.

UK Office for National Statistics estimates that there were 17 million working days lost due to stress, anxiety or depression in the UK between 2001 and 22. This is a continuing and worrying trend in other established countries, predating the rise of hybrid working.

The Four-Day Workweek in a Nutshell

The pandemic has forced many of us to reassess our relationship with work, with a growing number of companies exploring a four-day workweek. Although some remain sceptical, there are some clear signs. This trend is here to stay. Can you take away points, include a smaller carbon footprint per employee, less-stressed employees, reduced turnover, greater equality between men and women, and, for those with young families, greater flexibility to access affordable childcare?

London Awaits – Find Your Perfect Space Today

If you are looking for office space in London, we can show you a variety of flexible workspaces throughout the City of London. To find out more about the areas that OfficeBroker.io covers in London, check out our Central London Postcode or our Coworking Guide.