In the largest-ever experiment of its kind, 33 companies adopted a four-day workweek. The results were conclusive: It's time for everyone to take Fridays off.
by Henley Business School found that two-thirds of businesses operating on a four-day week saw employee productivity increase. , though. A shorter week could mean employees' workload increases each day, causing more stress rather than less. For companies that experience significantly busier periods around holidays or during the summer, it may not be possible to extend the program across the whole year.
Barry Prost, a cofounder of the Irish company Rent a Recruiter, a specialist talent-acquisition service, took part in the six-month 4 Day Week trial with the goal of addressing staff turnover — a problem for manysince the coronavirus pandemic. When the pandemic began, Rent a Recruiter was already moving to a permanent remote-work model, and after hearing about the program the company decided to try the four-day week as well.
Crucially, the new approach has brought huge gains to the small startup, which employs 20 people. Over the six-month trial period, Rent a Recruiter doubled its gross profits and calculated that its staff's productivity doubled over that time as well. And though it wasn't the initial motivation, Prost told me the benefits had shown up in more than just the company's bottom line.
While staff well-being and retention are important, the trial also was associated with a revenue boost among the participating companies. Among the 16 companies in the trial that provided revenue data, combined revenue for the companies, weighted by size, increased by 8.14%, which for some companies was nearly 40% higher than revenue growth during the same six-month period of the previous year.
The companies that took part in the trial have reported almost no downsides. None of the 27 companies that filled out a final survey for participants said they had any plans to return to a five-day week. And nearly all of the 495 employees involved in the trial wanted to maintain the four-day working week. According to the post-trial surveys, everyone from CEOs and managers to junior employees noticed far-reaching benefits, and a new UK-wide trial is now underway.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What's on TV this week—The Last Of Us, Night Court, That '90s ShowPlus, a new British drama starring Succession's Matthew Macfayden, new docuseries, and more
Read more »
Breakfast burritos, easy enchiladas and more healthy meal ideas for the week aheadNew week, new meal plan! Here are some easy, healthy meal ideas for the week ahead.
Read more »
Cadillac’s New 670 HP Endurance Car Just Got 3 New Colorful LiveriesThe futuristic V-LMDh will make its debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona later this month.
Read more »
New York Climate Groups Sue Over New Energy-Guzzling Crypto Mining OperationThe crypto mine could increase a Buffalo area power plant’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 3,500%.
Read more »
New Year, New Video Game Releases for Gamers of All AgesCheck out the discussion our BrittonPeele had with NBCDFW on recently released video games worth a look, and read our story for more details. 👀 Watch: 👓 Read the story:
Read more »
Up Close: The new Congress and cleaning up New York CityOn this week's Up Close, we'll hear from newly elected Rep. Michael Lawler of New York and New York City Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Read more »