No US or Canadian companies to return to five days, post 4 day week trial

Working hours continue to fall for companies a year on

New research from non-profit, 4 Day Week Global, has found that companies’ average working hours continued to fall beyond the conclusion of their six-month 4 day week pilot program. A year after launching their trials, employees’ average work week dropped from a baseline of 38 hours to 32.97, down almost a full hour from the six-month mark.

Workers’ experiences also remained highly positive, with an unchanged rating of 9/10 beyond the trial’s conclusion. Self-rated physical and mental health measures improved over 12 months, with employees also reporting increased work-life balance scores.

Lead researcher, Professor Juliet Schor of Boston College said: “It’s important to note this continued reduction in hours was not achieved via increased work intensity where people had to speed up and cram five days of tasks into four. Instead, they operated more efficiently and continued to improve these capabilities as the year progressed.”

Separately, results from a study of 41 US and Canadian companies who trialled a 4 day week for six months found that none were planning to return to five days. On a scale of 1-10, companies rated the overall trial an 8.7, reporting great satisfaction with business productivity, performance, and ability to attract employees. They also observed a 15% average increase in revenue over the course of the pilot program.

Employee outcomes were similarly positive, with 95% wanting to continue their 4 day week post-trial. Seven in ten (69%) reported reductions in burnout, while two in five felt less stressed. 42% of workers did more environmentally friendly activities during the trial, such as recycling, buying eco-friendly items and walking and cycling, rather than driving.

Jenise Uehara, CEO of Search Engine Journal, a US-based pilot company said: "Before our trial, dedicated employees were struggling with burnout. Turnover was increasing due to an intense workload, meeting overload, and inefficient procedures. The 4 day week motivated us to question our status quo and implement major productivity improvements. Today, we are reaping the benefits. Our turnover has dropped to record lows, productivity levels remained constant, and clients did not notice we had adopted a 4 day week. One employee told me that his kids now regard Fridays as ‘family day.’ I am thrilled we could prove a business case for supporting employees’ work-life balance.”

Tara Vanderloo, Chief Experience Officer at Sensei Labs, a Canadian-based pilot company said: “Sensei Labs’ culture is engineered around highly engaged, productive teams. The 4 day week seemed like a perfect fit for our teams, who were enthusiastic about the pilot program. The prep work pressurized all our teams and systems and helped identify opportunities to enhance productivity and find 20% efficiencies. The pilot was very successful for engagement, loyalty and retention, and attracting awesome new Senseis. We’re excited to keep the 4 day week in place beyond the pilot, and our teams remain deeply committed to the practice and preserving our productivity metrics. More than one of our team members has called this life-changing, which is the best feedback we could have.”

Dr Dale Whelehan, CEO of 4 Day Week Global said: “We’re delighted to see the positive experience North American participants had on our pilot program and encourage other businesses to follow these innovative leaders and sign up themselves. We’re equally thrilled with the new data showing people’s success with the 4 day week post-trial. A concern we frequently hear is the novelty will eventually wear off and performance will dwindle, but here we are a year later with benefits only continuing to grow. A promising result for the future of the movement.”

ENDS

Full report is available to download here: https://www.4dayweek.com/long-term-2023-pilot-results

List of North American pilot companies available here: https://www.4dayweek.com/us-canada-2023-participants

Case study of a company 12+ months into their 4 day week available here: https://www.4dayweek.com/casestudies/case-study-kickstarter