The world of work, in 2023, looks a lot different to the workplace of a few years ago, and it could be set to change much more in the coming years.

While not all of us may be ready to do away with the bricks-and-mortar office and go fully remote quite yet a new wave of more flexible, more balanced working is upon us. Whether you love or hate the idea, there’s no escaping the rising popularity of the four-day work week.

In this post, we’ll explore the four-day work week, how it works, the benefits, and why it might not be for everyone.

How would it work?

While certain industries might not be cut out for a four-day work week just yet, many businesses, in the wake of the pandemic, have embraced this new, more balanced more flexible way of working. But how does it work logistically?

It will vary on the type of business you run, your workforce, and how you provide products or services to your customers, but ultimately, a four-day week means cutting your staff’s hours to 80% and still paying them 100% of their original salary.

Employers can either offer for workers to work across four working days instead of five or reduce their weekly hours from 40 to 32 throughout the week, choosing their own schedule.

While this seems like a daunting commitment from an employer perspective, businesses have found that taking the plunge and trialling a four-day week has paid dividends in terms of their staff engagement, productivity, and longevity.

Since June 2022, UK businesses have been testing the waters with a four-day week, and many of them aren’t turning back.

The case studies 

Historically, and for a long time, UK employees worked six days per week, with Sunday being the only reprieve. In the aftermath of the global pandemic, the narrative around workplace presenteeism has changed. Businesses have come around to the idea of flexibility and remote work, and as experts predict that the four-day week could be the norm by 2030 it looks like we could be entering a new era.

Last year, 70 UK businesses agreed to participate in the trial, and this has been followed by smaller studies to explore the feasibility of the four-day week. Overall, across the businesses taking part in the larger study, 92% of those firms decided to continue with a four-day week after the trial period came to an end.

For employees, the scheme had huge benefits such as reduced costs of childcare and travel, and employers saw several advantages that made them want to commit for the long term.

Here are just a few.

The perks of a four-day work week

Employee retention

Introducing a four-day week can seemingly help businesses to retain talent. Of those that participated in the larger four-day week study, businesses saw a 57% decrease in the number of employees leaving their jobs during the trial period.

Work life balance

At a time when employee experience is a top priority for HR leaders, employers need to find ways to encourage a better lifestyle balance for workers. Switching from a five-day nine-to-five week to a four-day week gives workers the chance to achieve a better balance between their work and home life. With a day to spend their time however they wish, workers can build in the flexibility they need, and come back to work feeling refreshed and well-rested.

Mental wellbeing

Of the businesses participating in the trial, 43% of employees said they felt an improvement in their mental health, and 71% reported reduced levels of burnout. As managing employee wellbeing becomes an increasing challenge for businesses of all sizes, reducing the hours of their working week could see significant improvements in employee wellbeing.

Productivity and growth

In the same vein, better quality of life, better mental wellbeing, and less burnout all equate to a healthier, happier and more productive workforce. With workers granted more downtime, many have found the quality of their work, and their performance improved during the hours they spend at work. Naturally, this improvement in productivity results in business growth, confirmed by those who trialled the four-day scheme and reported 35% higher revenue compared with similar periods in previous years.

Why it might not work for everyone

While the scheme has seen great success for those who trialled it, the four-day week may not be quite right for every business and every industry. Those that deliver 24/7 services such as emergency services, or healthcare. Likewise, some hospitality and retail businesses might struggle to make a four-day week fit with their operations.

But taking a look at your current operations and making gradual changes could allow these employees to benefit from a reduction in hours and more flexibility for businesses to reap the benefits in the long term.

The fine balance of four days

The four-day week can have huge advantages, both for business leaders and for employees. But it’s important to make sure you plan your operations before switching to four days and ensure your workplace culture is in the right place so you can hit the ground running. It’s no use announcing a four-day week if workers continue to work overtime, checking emails and messages regardless. Be sure to implement best practices to ensure staff actively switch off when they say they will. Banning emails out of hours or having collaboration apps cap the hours for usage can be a great way to retain the boundaries of your four-day week.

It’s also important to remember that the four-day week isn’t a sticky-plaster solution to help you troubleshoot your employee’s mental health, or as a knee-jerk employee retention system. Offering a shorter week in lieu of any other benefits is not the answer.

It’s best to build your portfolio of workplace benefits first, offering these in addition to the perks of a shorter work week to foster a healthy workplace culture, reach better levels of employee engagement and advocate the perfect balance.

Take a tour of our employee benefits software for benefits management inspiration.