Four-day work week boosts productivity, benefits employers and staff – study
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — New research shows that redesigning work and adopting productivity tools enables a successful shift to a four-day work week, leading to major benefits for employers and employees.
The study, conducted jointly by global HR research firm Josh Bersin Company and the Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence, analyzed several mid-sized companies that tested a four-day schedule.
Participants included Toronto-based marketing agency PRAXIS, Ontario-based law firm The Ross Firm, British environmental consultancy Tyler Grange, Australian workplace consultancy Inventium, and European affiliate marketing organization Awin.
The research found that by focusing on productivity, accountability, and flexibility, companies were able to reduce the work week to four days without reducing pay or output.
Key innovations included measuring work through outcomes rather than time, introducing practices to improve employee focus, and fostering employee autonomy.
“The market leaders of tomorrow will not be the organizations that prioritize hustling harder and working longer,” said Joe O’Connor, CEO of Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence.
“They will create a virtuous circle by offering a greater quality of life to attract and retain top talent, and reinforce this competitive advantage by embracing AI and new technologies to streamline their processes.”
Reported benefits were wide-ranging. PRAXIS saw mental health improve by 26% and work-life balance rise by 42%. The Ross Firm had sick days nearly disappear and exceeded business targets.
Tyler Grange’s productivity went up 22% while output increased to 109% of previous levels. At Inventium, stress fell by 18% while energy and productivity both rose by over 20%.
Josh Bersin, global industry analyst and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company advised senior leaders to “get ready for the shift” to four-day workweek.
“Younger, ambitious employees see this as a new norm and they don’t see the value of just ‘being in the office all week’ to show their face,” he said.
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