Shifting to a four-day week has not led to a fall in productivity after a year, according to businesses that took part in an international trial.
The 4 Day Week Global project reported that a year after launching its trials, employees’ average working week dropped from an initial 38 hours to 32.97. Its report noted that the reduction was not achieved by higher work intensity – speeding up and cramming five days of tasks into four – but by employees operating more efficiently.
Dale Whelehan, chief executive of 4 Day Week Global, said: “A concern we frequently hear is there’s no way the results from our six-month trials can be maintained, as the novelty eventually must wear off, but here we are a year later with benefits only continuing to grow.”
