Thrive, in partnership with the University of Sussex, has published research findings on the impact of a four-day working week. The research found that a shorter working week leads to happier and more effective staff.
Sussex University ran a trial for three months between July and October in which 117 Thrive employees participated. The four-day week did not involve compressed hours, where participants worked four days for ten hours each. Instead, they worked for 32 hours (assumed – not called out in the press release) for the same salary.
In France in 2023, Macron promoted a four-day week with compressed hours. Sodexo tried the new format but found that employees were worse off, more tired and needed three days to recover, reducing morale and productivity. Experiments that went to 32 hours over 4 days had much greater success.
The employees completed weekly questionnaires that aimed to surface details of their workplace experience and well-being. A set of external checks with customers ensured that service levels were maintained. The research also pulled in sales and product metrics to assess productivity.
The benefits
The study showed that working a four-day week can improve employee well-being. It showed reductions in stress levels, improved sleep quality and a greater detachment from work. Ultimately, this improves work-life balance and presumably focuses on work when at work.
The key findings included:
- A 22.5% increase in psychological detachment from work indicates a significant improvement in work-life balance.
- A 21% increase in overall well-being.
- By the end of the trial period, sleep problems were reduced by 20%, and sleep quality improved by 6.2%.
- A considerable 8.6% reduction in perceived stress.
- Emotional exhaustion burnout decreased by 14.7%, while depersonalisation burnout saw a slight decrease of 2.3%.
- Feelings of personal accomplishment increased by 11.4%.
- Anxiety symptoms saw a statistically significant 5% reduction by the end of the trial. Notable decreases were also observed in stress and depression.
Dr. Charlotte Rae, Research Lead University of Sussex, commented, “The results speak for themselves. These significant improvements in areas related to physical and mental well-being demonstrate the transformative power of a four-day work week. Improved sleep quality and reduced stress and exhaustion are factors that could have a significant impact on our health, with the potential to enhance our lives in and outside of work. This study provides further compelling evidence for the benefits of flexible working models.”
Did productivity increase?
What will excite employees and perhaps make employers take notice is that while working fewer hours task execution in each week remained constant. Staff goal attainment rose by 19.4%, and staff also reported a 9.3% increase in self-efficacy.
These findings were based on statistical analysis of the feedback and metrics examined by the researchers. They show that perhaps the five-day working week could be replaced in some organisations to benefit not just the employees but also the employers.
What was interesting is that the feedback from customers demonstrated that well-rested and less stressed employees also gave a more consistent level of customer service. As a result of the research, Thrive is seriously considering moving to a four-day working week on a seasonal basis in the future.
Will it catch on?
For many organisations, it is not suitable, and for Thrive, being able to service customers five days a week is still required. It will be interesting to see what happens if organisations adapt and adopt a four-day week. The caveat is also whether the productivity is maintained over a longer period. This was only a short trial, and until at least a full year had been completed, other factors could emerge.
Cassie Gasson, Co-CEO Thrive, commented, “Our four-day work week trial revealed incredibly encouraging results, and we saw a fantastic impact on the people within our business. While we would have loved to implement it on a full-time basis, our experiences in the trial also highlighted that the success of a four-day work week will rely on widespread cultural change across the UK business landscape.
“As a business serving hundreds of organisations, it highlighted that five-day coverage for our customers is essential when they’re operating more traditional ways of working. New flexible working guidelines are a positive start, but the UK government should consider implementing policies which could help make a four-day work week a reality. This will enable more modern businesses that are ready to adopt this transition to do so.
“The benefits are evident through its potential to boost business productivity, increase well-being, and generally make the country happier and healthier, and the UK has the potential to take the lead on this by pioneering the four-day work week and reaping the rewards. Until then, it’s difficult for us to commit full time and will look at a more flexible seasonal approach to support the great benefits proven.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
A fascinating study that the research team appears to be continuing. It is still possible to register interest in the study, and it will be interesting to see what Rae publishes. Her findings were initially published in Science and Society. In the article, she identifies two psychological routes that lead to higher performance in a four-day week.
- “First, better-rested brains create better work.”
- “Second, better-motivated brains create better work.”
More research is needed, and if, or as firms switch to a four-day working week it could signal a huge change in how people work.
