Workers who took part in the trial were paid their regular salary and produced the same amount as they usually would but only worked 80 per cent of their normal hours.
The overall rating given to the four-day week by the companies who took part was 8.3 out of 10. Business performance and productivity were scored at 7.5 out of 10 while revenue rose 1.4 per cent on average.
The number of staff leaving fell by 57 per cent over the trial period.
Most employees want a four-day week
Of the employees that took part, 90 per cent said they would like to continue the four-day week and 55 per cent said they saw an increase in their abilities at work while 15 per cent said no amount of money would persuade them to return to a five-day work week.
Benefits of the trial included lower stress levels (39 per cent) and 43 per cent of workers said their mental health improved.
Levels of burnout were down 71 per cent; 54 per cent of workers said they saw a fall in negative emotions; 37 per cent saw improvements in physical health; 46 per cent saw a fall in fatigue; and 40 per cent saw a fall in difficulties with sleep.
Another benefit of the shorter working week was having more time to help with caring responsibilities.
The time men spent looking after children rose to 27 per cent, compared to 12 per cent for women. While 73 per cent said they had greater satisfaction with their time and 60 per cent found an increased ability to combine paid work with caring responsibilities.
In August last year, Mortgage Solutions reported that Atom Bank’s four-day working week had been hailed a success with productivity and job satisfaction among employees jumping since the change.
