A six-month U.K. experiment in which more than 70 organizations started a four-day workweek is going swimmingly, according to the community that helped launch it.
Non-profit 4 Day Workweek Global issued its findings at the half-way point of the pilot program that began in June, and the reviews reveal “a general tenor of positive experiences.”
Long story short, the companies are liking it, and so are their employees.
The program, which is also being tracked by researchers at Cambridge University, Boston College and Oxford University, saw more 3,300 employees get a paid day off weekly — and it seems to be paying off.
In fact, 88% of respondents stated that the four-day week program is working “well” for their business so far, with 46% saying productivity has not suffered.
Thirty-four percent reported productivity has “improved slightly,” while 15% of its participants report company productivity “improved significantly.”
Twenty-nine percent of the companies reported the transition to a four-day workweek has been “extremely smooth,” and nearly half said it has been “smooth.”
What’s more, 86% of the respondents said they’d be “extremely likely” or “likely” to keep up the four-day schedule even after the pilot program ends.
Claire Daniels, the CEO at one of the participating companies, Trio Media, called the trial “extremely successful” so far. “Productivity has remained high, with an increase in wellness for the team, along with our business performing 44% better financially,” she said.
Joe O’Connor, 4 Day Week Global CEO, noted the early results will “inform the process for many more businesses to trial, adapt, and reap the benefits of emphasizing productivity over time – thereby transforming the world of work for all of us.”
Survey questions, methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.