Exploring the impact of 4 days workweek: University of Sussex Study.
The University of Sussex initiated the Sussex 4 Day Week project in 2022 under the leadership of Dr. Charlotte Rae, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology. The program collaborates with local businesses to assess the effects of a four-day workweek on employee well-being, productivity, and job satisfaction. The research includes comprehensive evaluations such as MRI brain scans and blood tests to measure the biological impacts of reduced working hours.
Key Findings
- Health & Wellbeing: Employees experience reduced stress, anxiety, and burnout, with better sleep and overall work-life balance.
- Productivity: Enhanced task performance, goal attainment, and efficiency, shifting focus from hours worked to outcomes achieved.
- Recruitment & Retention: Improved ability to attract talent and boost long-term employee loyalty.
- Brand Impact: Strengthened innovation image and positive customer perceptions.
Several businesses have participated in this initiative. For instance, MRL Consulting Group in Hove implemented a four-day week in 2019. After a six-month trial, they observed significant improvements in staff retention, productivity, and reductions in short-term absences, leading them to adopt the change permanently. (read more here)
However, the four-day workweek doesn't suit all businesses. Some companies have found it impractical due to operational challenges. For example, Asda discontinued its four-day working week pilot after employees reported exhaustion from longer shifts and difficulties with early starts and late finishes. (read more here)
Implementing a four-day workweek can be approached through various models, each tailored to meet specific organizational needs and objectives. The primary models include:
- Compressed Workweek (4/10 Schedule):
- Structure: Employees work four days per week, with each day consisting of 10-hour shifts, maintaining the standard 40-hour workweek.
- Considerations: This model allows for an additional day off but may lead to longer daily working hours, which could impact employee focus and productivity.
- Reduced Hours Model (100-80-100 Model):
- Structure: Employees work four days per week, with each day consisting of 8-hour shifts, totalling a 32-hour workweek, while receiving 100% of their pay and maintaining 100% productivity.
- Considerations: This approach emphasizes efficiency and productivity within reduced hours, aiming to enhance work-life balance without compromising compensation.
- "Fortnight" Model:
- Structure: Employees work a traditional five-day week one week, followed by a four-day week the next, resulting in an additional day off every two weeks.
- Considerations: This model provides periodic extended weekends, which can aid in employee rejuvenation and satisfaction.
- Seasonal or Flexible Models:
- Summer Fridays Off: Employees receive Fridays off during specific seasons, such as summer, without a reduction in pay.
- Flexible or 'Freedom' Fridays: Employees have the option to take certain Fridays off, depending on workload and organizational policies.
- Considerations: These models offer flexibility and can boost morale during specific periods but may require careful planning to ensure business continuity.
Each model presents unique advantages and challenges. Organizations should assess their specific operational requirements, employee preferences, and business goals to determine the most suitable approach to implementing a four-day workweek.
Resources:
- The Essential Guide to a 4-Day Workweek: Insights, Results, and Considerations from Wonderlic's Experience
- How to Implement a Four-Day Work Week at Your Organization
- The Four-Day Work Week - JOSH BERSIN
- 4 Day Week Global Foundation
- University of Sussex success stories
At TimeOff.Management, we’ve thought long and hard about how to accommodate various work models and automate absence management efficiently. To meet diverse business needs, we’ve introduced two main approaches:
1. Employee 4-Day Week Policy
This model is tailored for employees with a four-day workweek but no fixed schedule. It’s particularly suited to industries such as technology and software development, creative and content generation, accounting, legal professionals, and freelancers. To account for the increased workload per day in a four-day week, a 1.25 coefficient is applied to absence durations. This adjustment ensures that absence calculations reflect the longer workdays without manual intervention. The adjustment applies exclusively to absence management, keeping the process seamless and accurate.
2. Flexible Schedule Policy
The flexible schedule feature enables employees to define their exact working patterns, including specifying non-working days and setting the length of any given working day with precision to the nearest hour. This feature automatically considers designated non-working days when calculating used leave and updates the balance of available days for booking. It’s ideal for industries where fixed schedules are a priority, such as manufacturing, education, retail, and similar sectors. By enabling preset schedules, companies in these industries can ensure operational continuity while offering employees predictable and structured time off.
These two approaches aim to cater to the unique needs of businesses across sectors, ensuring that absence management remains efficient, accurate, and fully aligned with organizational policies. Whether your employees benefit from flexible or fixed working patterns, TimeOff.Management ensures a streamlined experience for both employees and administrators.
