The Four-Day Week: Less Time, More Work Done?

In 2022, more than sixty British companies took part in an unusual experiment. For six months, their staff worked four days a week instead of five — but received the same pay. The condition was simple: the same amount of work had to be completed. Researchers from two universities followed the companies closely and published their findings the following year.

The results surprised many people. Revenue at the participating companies stayed roughly the same, and in some cases rose slightly. The number of staff who resigned fell by more than half compared with the previous year. Reported levels of stress and tiredness dropped, while the number of sick days taken fell by around two thirds.

Not everything was straightforward, however. Companies that succeeded had usually spent several weeks redesigning how they worked before the trial began. They cut the length and number of meetings, limited interruptions, and agreed clear rules about response times for email. Firms that simply removed a day without changing anything else found that the same amount of work now had to be squeezed into less time, and staff felt more pressure rather than less.

Some sectors found the change harder than others. A software company can often reorganise its week without affecting customers. A hospital or a restaurant cannot: someone must be present when patients or diners arrive. For these workplaces, a shorter week usually means hiring more people, which increases costs rather than reducing them.

Critics also point out that the trial was voluntary. The companies that signed up were probably those already interested in flexible working, and possibly those already managed well. A policy that works for sixty willing firms may behave quite differently if applied to an entire economy by law.

Still, most of the companies in the trial chose to keep the four-day week after it ended. When asked why, managers rarely mentioned productivity figures. They talked instead about being able to hire the people they wanted, and about keeping the staff they already had.