4 Day Work Week in United Kingdom

• Jun 2022 – Dec 2022
• 61 companies
• 2,900 employees

56 of 61 companies were continuing with a four-day week after the pilot, 18 permanently. Companies had to maintain pay at 100% and give a 'meaningful' reduction in work time. Revenue rose 1.4% on average, weighted by company size, over the trial across 23 firms that gave data. The authors say they are unable to say that the trends in resignations, hiring and absence are statistically significant.

No productivity metric in the common data set. Revenue: +1.4% on average over the trial (23 organisations, weighted by company size) and +35% on average against a comparable earlier six months (24 companies). Resignations per 100 employees fell from 2 to 0.8 and sick and personal days per employee per month from 2.0 to 0.7; the report says it is unable to say that these trends are statistically significant.

• Mental health: Shares of surveyed employees, not sizes of change: 71% reported lower burnout (22% higher); 39% were less stressed (13% more stressed, 48% no change). Average burnout score fell from 2.8 to 2.34 and work-stress frequency from 3.07 to 2.74, on 1-5 scales.
• Physical health: Shares of surveyed employees: 37% reported better physical health (18% worse).
• Sleep: Shares of surveyed employees: 40% reported fewer sleep difficulties (15% more).

• Nov 2024 – Apr 2025
• 17 companies
• 950 employees

All 17 organisations (12 on a four-day week, 5 on a nine-day fortnight) were continuing after the trial; three made it permanent. Organisations reported keeping service levels and KPIs. Employee results come from the 89 employees who completed both surveys; organisation data came from seven organisations and is descriptive only.

Administrative data from a few organisations only: of four reporting revenue, three saw an increase and one a decrease; four of six saw fewer sick and personal days. The report calls it purely descriptive and not generalisable.

• Mental health: Shares of the 89 employees who completed both surveys (not all 950+ staff): 62% reported burnout less often, 33% less work stress, 41% better mental health, 45% more satisfied with life.
• Sleep: Of the 89 surveyed: 39% registered fewer sleep problems and 43% less fatigue.

Staff deliver 100% of their work in around 85% of their contracted hours for 100% of their pay, the council says. Full Council made it permanent on 17 July 2025. An independent report found 21 of 24 monitored services improved or stayed the same; the council reports a yearly saving of 399,263 pounds.

Council figures: 21 of 24 monitored services improved or stayed the same; with COVID-related variation discounted, every monitored service did. Statistically significant gains included Contact Centre calls answered and timeliness of planning decisions.

• Oct 2023
• 2 companies
• 259 employees

Accountant in Bankruptcy and South of Scotland Enterprise ran a year-long 32-hour, four-day week with no loss of pay (South of Scotland Enterprise from 2 October 2023, Accountant in Bankruptcy from 14 April 2024). Performance indicators were stable against the year before.

Key performance indicators stayed broadly stable versus the previous year at both bodies. At South of Scotland Enterprise the share of enquiries that received an initial response within three working days fell from 94.42% to 92.04% while enquiries rose about 11.4%; the report finds no significant disruption to response times. Headcount at SOSE rose from 138 to 141 and at AiB fell from 121 to 118; the evaluators read the results as coinciding with an increase in productivity.

• Mental health: Accountant in Bankruptcy: average self-assessed mental health score improved 18.4% and work-stress score fell 18.4%. South of Scotland Enterprise: 83% of staff reported a positive impact on stress (a share), and sick days for psychological reasons fell about 25.7% versus the year before.