Is there 4 Day Work Week revolution on its way?

The 4 Day Work Week trial has been running in the UK since June 2022, and with the results in it's officially been hailed a success. At least 56 of the 61 companies who participated in the pilot stated that they would continue offering a shorter week. While 90% of the approximately 2,900 employees who participated said they wanted to continue on a 4 day week.

With this in mind, it then doesn't come as much of a surprise that out of the creative industry professionals who took part in the recent 2023 Source Salary & Benefits Survey (coming soon!) 88% indicated that given the choice they would prefer the opportunity to work a 4 day week instead of 5.

What are the findings?

Similar to earlier global findings, the UK trial reports significantly reduced levels of burnout. Not to mention reduced stress. Improved mental health and wellness. Better work/life balance and more.

I bet you are thinking that's all fine and well, but what about the business right? Well, it's pretty interesting actually, businesses have seen;

• Increased revenue (sitting at a 35% increase in the UK trial specifically)
• A decline in illness and sick leave.
• Employees value their jobs more, have a better work ethic and have greater job satisfaction.
• Leading to lower employee turnover and a higher-quality employee applicant pool.
• Less burnout and stress among employees decreased mistakes and poor service delivery.
• Improved relationships between peers.
• And overall productivity and service delivery either stayed the same or improved.

Other Benefits

• Better gender equality, studies have found that the 4 day work week seems to level the playing field between men and women. It's been reported to eliminate the need for women to negotiate hours and therefore get a reduction in pay due to childcare requirements for example.
• Positively impacts climate issues. CO2 emissions will reduce, not to mention the benefit of reduced travel costs for employees

Strategies to help implement the 4 Day Work Week

If you are thinking your team is simply too busy, already pretty flat out and that reduced hours are simply not a possibility perhaps consider the following. If a person has an 8 hour work day, 5 days a week that doesn't mean by filling that time that they are being productive with it. Or even doing actual work the entire time.

Think about it, they get in the office, grab a cup of tea, and have a chat with someone about what each of them got up to this last weekend. Twenty minutes later they get to their desk, do thirty minutes of work and then get pulled into an hour-long meeting that could have been done in 20 minutes and that they didn't need to be in in the first place. Once back at their desk, they check a few emails, do a bit more work and then someone asks them to just quickly look at something for them... and so it goes. At the end of the day, they probably did what? Six decent hours of work?

Companies who have successfully implemented the 4 day work week report that what they've ultimately seen are people changing their behaviours.

The secret sauce that makes the 4 day work week successful is reorganisation. Here are a few of the strategies that businesses around the globe have implemented to make their 4 day work week... well, work.

• The first point of call is to cut back on meetings. Honestly, the amount of time you can save by having fewer, shorter and more structured meetings is simply astounding.
• Cut back on emails and check them less often! Constantly checking emails means people are constantly dipping in and out of tasks, ultimately wasting more time. The same goes for unnecessary emails, sometimes a quick call can give you all the answers in five minutes that a three-day chain of emails did.
• Streamline processes, procedures and how individuals manage their time. We live in a world of clever technology, utilise time management tools such as calendar scheduling, productivity apps, and ‘to-do’ lists to keep track of deadlines and tasks.
• Reduce distractions and unnecessary activities not related to the task or project at hand. Think about it this way, fewer interruptions mean more focus and the pace of work goes up.Set clear objectives for each day to help stay focused and productive.
• Personal appointments get moved to the day off whenever possible, again resulting in less disruption.

Wrapping Up

By all accounts, the 4 day work week offers too many benefits to simply be dismissed without a closer look. At the end of the day the world is changing around us. The way we work is changing around us. The 4 day work week benefits workers, companies and society, not to mention being a gateway for addressing climate change.

As economist Juliet Schor says, "We need to make the transition from scarcity thinking to appreciate the true wealth that we possess: our ingenuity, our compassion and our humanity. Working a 4 day work week radically changes lives. Working longer isn't about working smarter or harder."

Will you be part of the 4 day work week revolution?