pilot project
Four-day week with full salary: Successful test in Great Britain
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What sounds like a dream seems to be working: 4 days work, 3 days off and with full pay. More than 60 companies have tested the four-day week in Great Britain. After the pilot phase, almost all of the participating companies want to keep the model.
Good news for employees: work less for the same salary. What has long been viewed critically seems to be working. At least that is what the pilot project in Great Britain for the four-day week, which has just been successfully completed, shows. Conclusion: More than four out of five of the companies involved want to continue to adhere to the model.
For six months, they only worked four days out of five – and with the same wages as for a five-day week. After the end of the test phase, 56 out of 61 employers said they wanted to keep the four-day week. 18 confirmed that they had already introduced the concept permanently. That goes out on Tuesday published analysis by researchers from Boston and the University of Cambridge who accompanied the project scientifically and conducted in-depth interviews with those involved.
The calculation works for both employees and companies
According to the analysis, the participating companies’ sales increased by an average of 1.4 percent during the test phase, according to one communication from the University of Cambridge.
“Before starting, many questioned whether we would see an increase in productivity to offset the reduction in hours worked – but that’s exactly what we found.”
So said sociologist Prof Brendan Burchell, who led the research at the University of Cambridge. It was particularly important to the employees themselves.
Less stress, better health
Sick days fell by around two-thirds (65 percent) during the test period and the number of employees who left the company during this period fell by more than half (57 percent). Around four out of ten employees stated that they were less stressed, slept better and also felt physically and mentally healthier than before the project began.
Better compatibility of work and family
Around 75 percent stated that they were happier overall and 60 percent found it much easier to reconcile job, care work and social life. The time men spend looking after their children has more than doubled.
Experiments also in Germany
The companies involved came from the financial sector, the IT and construction sectors, as well as the catering and healthcare sectors. A total of around 2,900 employees took part in the pilot project. While some companies introduced a three-day weekend across the board, others were able to flexibly use the additional day off.
Other countries are also experimenting with the four-day week. In addition to Ireland, Iceland, Belgium and Australia, some German companies are also testing similar models.