In a pilot project at German companies in Germany, shortening working hours led to less stress among employees. At the same time, companies’ performance and productivity were not affected by the shorter working hours.
“The employees reported significant improvements in their mental and physical health,” says management consultancy Intraprenör, initiator of the pilot project for the four-day week.
“Positive change in life satisfaction”
Since the beginning of the year, 45 companies across Germany have participated in the pilot project, of which 41 have now completed or are about to do so, according to Intraprenör. The extent of the working time reduction varied depending on the company; some granted 20 percent fewer weekly working hours for the same pay, others only ten percent, some even less. However, according to the information, 85 percent had a “full day off per week.”
“The four-day week led to a significant positive change in life satisfaction, which was mainly due to the extra free time,” explains the scientific leader of the study, Julia Backmann. According to this report, before the project, 64 percent of employees expressed a desire to spend more time with their families. After that it was still 50 percent.
Exercise more, sleep better
The reduced amount of work also led to “an increase in daily activity level, as measured by the number of steps and physical activity.” In addition, employees with fewer working hours slept an average of 38 minutes more per week than the control group without reduction. The number of stress and burnout reports has been significantly reduced.
The research mainly focused on the impact on employees. There were “slight increases” in companies’ profits and sales, but these were “not significant” compared to the previous year. Possible productivity gains are at least conceivable, Backmann explains. Employees and managers “tend” to notice an increase in productivity.
For the study, the scientists conducted interviews, evaluated fitness trackers and tested hair samples for the stress hormone cortisol.
Two companies canceled the project
In some cases, only individual teams from companies participated in the pilot project, in other cases the entire workforce. According to Intraprenör, the companies came from the services, production, healthcare, IT and media sectors. Of the original 45 participating companies, two canceled their participation due to “economic challenges or a lack of internal support for the four-day week.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
