Having crept into our consciousness over the past few years, the four-day week is often hailed as the answer to helping us finally achieve a good work-life balance. Employees have sung its praises, studies have found it to have “no notable downsides”. But it hasn’t come without questions. What would it actually look like? And, crucially, would it work?

The answer to that last one appears to be “yes”. Research has revealed that of the 61 organisations that took part in the landmark six-month UK pilot scheme in 2022, which was the world’s biggest four-day working week trial, 51% have since permanently adopted the change, while 89% still operate the four-day policy one year on. 

The report found that more than half (55%) of project managers and CEOs said a four-day week – in which staff worked 100% of their output in 80% of their time – had a positive impact on their organisation. For 82%, this included positive effects on staff wellbeing, while 50% found it reduced staff turnover and 32% said it improved job recruitment. Nearly half (46%) said working and productivity improved.

The four-day working week has always been controversial. While many have claimed that working fewer days in a row can increase productivity and job satisfaction while reducing cases of burnout, businesses have often been hesitant about paying their workers the same wages for – as some see it – less work.

However, those behind the trial – thinktank Autonomy and researchers from the University of Cambridge, the University of Salford and Boston College in the US – suggest that “many of the significant benefits found during the initial trial have persisted 12 months on”. Almost all (96%) of staff said their personal life had benefited, and 86% felt they performed better at work, while 38% felt their organisation had become more efficient, with 24% saying it had helped with caring responsibilities.

The even better news is that the trial isn’t the only glowing endorsement – a pilot programme in Spain also found that the four-day working week significantly benefitted workers’ health. 

It is worth noting that the trial involved a small sample size, so whether the four-day working week will become a reality for the majority of workers remains to be seen. Back in 2019, a 32-hour working week was part of Labour’s manifesto during the general election campaign. In 2020, a number of MPs signed a letter published by The Independent in which they called for a four-day working week during the pandemic. The subject was then debated in Parliament for the first time in 2022.

So as we lean further into flexible policies like chronoworking, it might not be long before we see some real, radical change to the way we work. 

Images: Getty