Dobby is free! Four-day workweek makes people happier and more productive

Six months ago, in June 2022, a six-month trial regimen of four days a week began in the UK. The study involved 61 British companies, writes IFL Science.

During the experiment, employees’ working hours were reduced by 20% without any change in wages, and companies tracked employee performance. After 6 months of experimentation, the researchers are finally ready to take inventory. After analyzing the data, they found that employee well-being increased significantly during the experiment, employee retention also increased, and the overall number of illnesses decreased during this period. But the most surprising thing was that all this happened without compromising the bottom line of the companies.

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Note that the study was led by a group of scientists from Cambridge University, Boston College and the Autonomy think tank. In total, nearly 3,000 people attended, working in a wide variety of industries, including IT, financial services, healthcare, and groceries.

Half of the trial, the researchers note, many companies reported positive intermediate results. By the way, the UK is not the only country where such pilot projects are carried out. Similar experiments have been done in North America and Ireland before – the reports turned out to be optimistic as well.

The researchers state that this study is one of the most comprehensive to date and includes interviews with company executives and employees. Cambridge University’s Dr. According to David Frain, this experimental method has allowed researchers to go beyond the usual survey and examine in detail how companies can work directly in the field.

The results of the study showed that, compared to the start of the trial, 71% of employees reported lower levels of burnout with the four-day work week, and 39% of employees reported reduced stress levels. In addition, employees reported improved work-life balance:

• 62% believe it is easier for them to combine work with communication;
• 60% feel they balance work and caregiving responsibilities better.

While that’s not all, CEOs also said revenue increased slightly during testing, averaging 1.4%. As a result, the researchers concluded that the changes in the program did not harm companies either.

It should be noted that 92% of the companies participating in the experiment expressed their readiness to continue with the program, and 18 confirmed that these changes will now become permanent.

Previously Focus He wrote about what scientists call habits that will improve our lives.