Since we adopted a four-day workweek in 2020, everybody’s been leaping on the practice throughout completely different industries and international locations. Most notably, nevertheless – and the rationale we’re gathered right here at this time – is the UK’s four-day workweek experiment that has yielded optimistic outcomes. It’s additionally confirmed what we already know — that working 4 days every week works.
Outcomes from the most important 4-day workweek experiment ran within the UK:
Productiveness elevated by 22%, job purposes are up 88%, absenteeism is down by 66%, their carbon footprint is down with individuals driving much less & staff are much less drained and happier.
92% of corporations mentioned…
— DelyanneTheMoneyCoach ® (@DelyanneMoney) February 27, 2023
With the four-day workweek gaining traction worldwide, we thought it was about time to examine in, but once more, with the parents working at Buffer about what it’s wish to work 4 days every week.
Background
We carried out a four-day workweek experiment in Could 2020 to check its results on our collective well-being, psychological well being, and private relationships.
The experiment wasn’t meant to trace its results on productiveness, so we set low expectations round this measurement, however we have been pleasantly shocked by the outcomes.
On the time, our Chief of Employees, Carolyn Kopprasch, wrote, “…resulting from elevated relaxation and reflection, a lot of you will have shared that you just felt your weekly productiveness was in reality not all that completely different, and that your high quality of labor was larger whereas experiencing improved general wellbeing.”
We in the end shifted to a four-day workweek by the remainder of 2020 and at the moment are approaching the three-year mark.
We’ve checked in with our workforce a number of occasions since implementing the four-day workweek — sufficient to know it really works. However the current enhance in curiosity had us pondering — what does the four-day workweek appear like for us, three years in?
That led us to place out a survey crammed out by 53 Buffer staff (out of 78), 60 p.c of whom have been working at Buffer for over three years, which is so long as we’ve been working the four-day workweek. Right here’s what they needed to say.
Everybody loves the four-day workweek
Unsurprisingly, one hundred pc of survey respondents said that they’d wish to proceed working remotely for the remainder of their careers.
That is in step with outcomes from the UK experiment, with 90 p.c of staff saying they undoubtedly wish to proceed on a four-day week with nobody saying they undoubtedly don’t wish to proceed.
Most staff — 78.8 p.c — work 4 days every week OR 5 shorter days, up from 73 p.c the final time we did a survey. In the meantime, 21 p.c work greater than 4 days every week, down from 27 p.c the final time we did this survey.
We will infer from this that point spent working a four-day workweek has allowed every particular person to determine what works greatest for his or her schedule. We will additionally join this consequence to adjusted inner expectations for the four-day workweek.
As Carolyn explains, “We have now considerably adjusted the expectations of the fifth day in order that it’s extra of an “overflow” day if wanted. That is in step with our common flexibility, however now managers are being extra express: we encourage teammates to work on that fifth day in the event that they select to or if wanted, based mostly on their workload or the workforce’s wants. (If it’s not wanted, then the teammate is inspired to take it off completely as common.) Engaged on the fifth day just isn’t essentially a failure of the system or an issue. It’s simply not anticipated or required like in a five-day work week atmosphere.”
Burnout has no place within the four-day workweek, say 100% of Buffer teammates
We predict and discuss loads about burnout right here at Buffer, so it’s encouraging to see teammates not really feel burnt out working a four-day workweek. A majority, 73.1 p.c, of teammates said that they really feel extra energized, whereas 26.9 p.c don’t really feel notably completely different.
The UK experiment had ends in an identical vein — 71 p.c of staff had diminished ranges of burnout by the tip of the trial.
Moreover, 99.1 p.c of teammates are much less careworn since they began working a four-day workweek.
Measured in opposition to the trial respondents, 39 p.c of whom said that they have been much less careworn, this may occasionally seem to be an outlier. Nevertheless, it’s necessary to contemplate that Buffer is each distant and working a four-day workweek. That is doubtless a significant factor within the decreased stress ranges discovered among the many survey respondents.
Work-life stability is a significant good thing about the four-day workweek
Most Buffer teammates, 61.5 p.c of, discover it simpler to stability work and life. One teammate particularly highlighted, “There may be extra time throughout regular enterprise hours on Friday to handle the “Admin” of my private life.”
A more healthy work-life stability can also be mirrored within the UK’s trial outcomes, with 60 p.c of trial respondents reporting an elevated potential to mix paid work with care obligations and 62 p.c reporting it was simpler to mix work with their social life.
The diminished workweek isn’t with out its challenges
Whereas 65.4 p.c of teammates are capable of full their work inside 4 days, 40.4 p.c really feel like they’ll’t end all their work in that timeframe. Nevertheless, as highlighted by Carolyn, we encourage utilizing the fifth day as an overflow day, which 61.6 p.c of teammates discover that they must do most or among the time.
The downsides of working each a distant and four-day workweek system are additionally mirrored within the survey responses, as teammates spotlight that making connections with coworkers is difficult.
One respondent said, “Distant work mixed with a 4-day work week signifies that reference to workforce members typically takes a again seat to make sure that the work will get executed.” One other shared, “You quit among the issues that are not core to your job however have been form of enjoyable to do at work.”
Different highlighted challenges embrace:
- Time administration: “Managing my time nicely throughout the 4 days to account for one much less day.”
- Overwhelming assembly schedules: “It is close to inconceivable to have a meeting-free day with a condensed schedule.”
- Feeling remoted from different teammates for those who work a much less widespread schedule
Many individuals use the day without work for non-work actions
The UK’s experiment discovered that most individuals don’t use their further day without work to tackle paid work elsewhere. They use it for hobbies and leisure, house responsibilities and caring, and private upkeep.
The identical is true at Buffer – a teammate highlighted that they use their day without work for all times admin, particularly mentioning that they handle issues like grocery buying and meal prep to totally benefit from the weekend.
We’ve coated how some teammates reap the benefits of their distinctive schedules – take a look at this text to learn additional.
We’ll maintain working the four-day workweek
General, we’ve had an overwhelmingly optimistic response to the four-day workweek. The diminished schedule permits staff to deal with private pursuits, hobbies, and self-care throughout their further day without work. Life admin is healthier dealt with throughout a four-day workweek — individuals have extra time for his or her households and associates.
We aren’t planning on shifting away from a four-day workweek – we’ll maintain refining our strategy to make sure its success for each our teammates and Buffer as a complete. We stay up for extra knowledge on this new method to work and extra corporations becoming a member of us on this journey.
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Anybody is welcome to republish this knowledge. Attain out through press@buffer.com in case you have additional questions.
