London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 04, 2025

World's Biggest Trial Of Four-Day Working Week Declares Success In UK

World's Biggest Trial Of Four-Day Working Week Declares Success In UK

In the UK, a total of 61 companies across different sectors were involved in the six-month pilot scheme between June and December last year.
The world's biggest trial of a four-day working week published its findings on Tuesday to claim its success as an overwhelming majority of participating companies declared they would continue with the new working model.

In the UK, a total of 61 companies across different sectors were involved in the six-month pilot scheme between June and December last year.

Conducted by non-profit 4 Day Week Global, the UK's 4 Day Week Campaign and think-tank Autonomy, nearly 3,000 workers were guided through a shorter working week at the same pay as their usual five-day working week.

"Results are largely steady across workplaces of varying sizes, demonstrating this is an innovation which works for many types of organisations," said Lead Researcher Professor Juliet Schor, from Boston College - one the institutions involved in the trial along with Oxford and Cambridge universities.

"There are also some interesting differences. We found that employees in non-profits and professional services had a larger average increase in time spent exercising, while those in construction/manufacturing enjoyed the largest reductions in burnout and sleep problems," said Schor.

The overall results show that almost every organisation plans to stick to a four-day week post-trial, with 91 per cent definitely continuing or planning to continue, and a further 4 per cent leaning towards continuing. Only 4 per cent of participants have said they are not continuing with a shorter week.

Companies rated their experience of the trials an average of 8.5 out of 10, with business productivity and business performance each scoring 7.5 on 10. Revenue rose by 35 per cent over the trial periods when compared to similar periods from the previous year, and hiring increased while absenteeism decreased, the findings reveal.

Meanwhile, the health and wellbeing of employees also improved, with significant increases observed in physical and mental health, time spent exercising, and overall life and job satisfaction. Rates of stress, burnout and fatigue all fell, while problems with sleep declined. According to the researchers, environmental outcomes were also encouraging, with commuting time falling across the full sample by a half hour per week.

"While both men and women benefit from a 4-day week, women's experience is generally better. This is the case for burnout, life and job satisfaction, mental health and reduced commuting time. Encouragingly, the burden of non-work duties appears to be balancing out, with more men taking on a greater share of housework and childcare," said Dr Dale Whelehen, CEO of 4 Day Week Global.

Going forward, the plan is for the team to expand the pilot schemes to other parts of the world.

"Our team is delighted to be expanding the arguments in favour of a 4 day week today with this new world-class academic research, and we look forward to adding our Australasian pilot results to this data set in the coming weeks and our European, South African, Brazilian and North American results in the coming months," said Charlotte Lockhart, Co-founder and Managing Director of 4 Day Week Global.

The employers and workers in the pilot were given access to the expertise, tools and resources such as workshops and mentoring that the researchers felt would be needed to run a smooth and successful trial.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×