#WhatTheFAQ: Ireland's four-day work campaign yields positive outcomes. Here's what the findings say

Earlier in June 2021, the campaign group Four Day Week Ireland revealed that 17 companies have signed up for its pilot programme
Pic credits: Edex Live
Pic credits: Edex Live

Working five or six days a week and want a break? Well, you might just get one soon. Workholacis working from 9 am to 5 pm and beyond, all through the week, will be able to take a back seat if the four-day work initiative is adopted by all companies. With the onset of COVID-19, the new work from home (WFH) culture has begun and many countries have been following five-day week work culture. And now the Four Day Work Ireland campaign has come up with an initiative to survey the four-day work pattern. 

On November 29, Tuesday, the results of the Four Day Week Ireland campaign were out and the results were quite positive and successful. What is this campaign for? "For advocating for the gradual, steady, managed transition to a shorter working week for all private & public sector workers," as stated in the campaign's Twitter bio. Described by his Twitter bio as Behaviour Science PhD from Trinity College Dublin, Senior Consultant at Human Capital Deloitte and member of Four Day Week Ireland's Steering Group, Dr Dale Whelehan highlighted the aim in one of his tweets. He posted, "Explaining And to clarify one principle: The aim of the @4DayWeekIreland is to implement a 100-80-100 principle of work. 100% pay, for 80% of the traditional working week, for 100% of the same business outcome. #FutureOfWork"

Let's understand what this is all about, how it is done, what are its benefits and what the findings say with today's edition of #WhatTheFAQ. 

What is the Four Day Week pilot programme?
The official website of Four Day Week Ireland describes this Four Day Week pilot programme as "a coordinated, 6-month trial of a 4-day week, with no loss in pay for employees." Earlier in June 2021, the campaign group Four Day Week Ireland revealed that 17 companies have signed up for its pilot programme. 

This trial survey sees businesses in Ireland participate in a coordinated six-month trial of a four-day working week, alongside similar pilot schemes in other countries including the US, Iceland, Canada and New Zealand, as stated in online reports. 

Researchers from which universities are conducting the survey?
It is coordinated by Four Day Week Global in partnership with researchers at Cambridge University, Boston College and Oxford University, together with local researchers in each region. 

What did the researchers do?
They surveyed the financial, social and environmental impact which a four-day working week would have on businesses and employees. 

What are the benefits as per the survey?
As per the data released on November 29, Tuesday, the team found that there were improvements in employee well-being, especially among women. As per reports, women felt more satisfied and secure in their jobs following the implementation of reduced working hours. 

These are the benefits: 
- Gains in revenue 
- Employee productivity 
- Decline in absenteeism 
- Employees are more inclined to work from the office than at home
- Improvement in employee sleep quality and work-life balance

Another interesting aspect is that employees' sleep time increased on average, from 7.02 hours a night to 7.72 hours. Additionally, time for hobbies increased by 36 minutes a week on average.

What are the findings of the study?
In a series of tweets, Dr Dale Whelehan said:

"THE 4 DAY WORK WEEK HAS HIT IRELAND WITH ASTONISHING RESULTS. 
The Irish Findings are as follows:
• 100% of the companies involved are continuing with the 4-Day work week
• 85% of companies which reported data on revenue reported growth in revenue (1/X)
• The average rating from managers on the productivity and overall experience was 9.2 (positive) 
• 100% of employees involved said they would prefer a reduced work schedule 
• The study found stress, burnout, fatigue and work-family conflict significant declined (2/X)
• Average sleep times increased within participants 
• Improvements in environmental metrics, included reduced waste, were also noted (3/X)
• Particular improvements were seen in outcomes for women - who reported greater improvement in life satisfaction, gains in recovery, and feeling more secure in employment (4/X)"

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
EdexLive
www.edexlive.com