What was originally just a challenge could become an example to follow. Last June, the Think with autonomy invited 61 UK companies to test the 4-day week. Box full: 92% of participating companies said they would like to keep this set up. Proof that another way of working is possible.
Very conclusive data
Tuesday February 21, Autonomythen presented the results of this large-scale study to the British House of Commons: among the 2,900 employees who tested it, the vast majority described better work-life balance, greater fulfillment in personal relationships and greater satisfaction for their finances.
The benefits are there: burnout rate down by 71%, exit rate down by 57%, number of sick days down by 65%, less anxiety for 39% of surveyed employees, less fatigue or insomnia …
Salary and daily hours unchanged
How is the 4-day week organized? Unlike the Belgian model, which offers a weekly day off against increased daily hours, the 4-day week made in England it simply provides one less working day for the same salary and hours. Could our British neighbors be right? Possible, according to the numbers: the companies that have applied this system have recorded an increase in their profits of 1.4%.
This trial is the largest ever conducted on the UK market. The researchers interviewed companies of all sizes and from all sectors: finance, catering, NGOs… Everyone was free to organize the week as they wished, either by giving their employees a Monday or a Friday, or by mitigating this decrease over the course of of the year.
And in France?
In May 2022, the newspaper The Obs he had asked French employees practicing the four-day week to tell their story. The feedback was largely positive, as our colleagues report: “ They said they have more time for their family, their activities, their chores. The weekend was getting longer and it no longer seemed like two crossed days of racing “. An ADP study, also published in May 2022, revealed that more than 6 in 10 French people would like to switch to this weekly format, with ” more than half (57%) would accept a reduction in their pay in exchange for a better work-life balance “.
On the business side, this criterion increases the attractiveness of employers, as the UK results demonstrate. Allowed in France by the Robien law on the organization of working hours (1997), this model has gained ground after the pandemic. But France remains generally reluctant to take the plunge. Perhaps it will allow itself to be persuaded by its European neighbours: in Spain, 200 companies have volunteered to experiment with the 32-hour week without loss of wages. The results will be known in 2025, which still leaves time for France to mature the argument…
Cover image: Marvin Meyer
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
