Does the 4-day week work? Find out the results of the study

Have you ever imagined a reality in which there aren't five working days in a week? This isn't the stuff of parallel universes, and it's already happening in countless companies around the world: it's the 4-day week. 

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This initiative came up a long time ago, mainly in conversations about productivity and the origin of the 5-day week. The working week as we know it today is, in fact, nothing more than a legacy of Fordism, which created a trend across the globe by implementing five days of work followed by two days of rest. 

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But is this logic really ideal for all business profiles and people? Is it the best working model for everyone? Probably not. And it was based on this premise that some countries decided to really test different formats, which you'll find out about throughout this article.

Results of studies on the 4-day week

The first countries to actually implement the 4-day week rule were European countries. The United Kingdom decided to take a risk and created a campaign for some organizations to adopt the test and analyze the results of this experiment together with renowned universities. 

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The feedback was impressive: 95% of the participants said that productivity in the company remained the same or increased, even with one less working day. In addition, 86% said they would probably continue with the initiative even after the test period. These figures come from the NGO 4 Day Week Global.

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The logic is that the new routine of available time helps the well-being of the team as a whole, who feel more engaged in their work during the 4-day week, which impacts not only on their mental health, but also on absenteeism and even their carbon footprint.

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Is it worth testing?

Many of the leaders who agreed to take part in the experiment said that not only was the team much more participative, united and creative, but that customers saw this and were more satisfied. We know that working a traditional 5-day week is much more of a cultural habit, and that it can be difficult to break this paradigm. 

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However, based on the numbers achieved in the feedback from those who have embarked on this journey and, of course, if it makes sense for your employee's journey, it's worth carrying out a test. How about for a quarter? Nothing is written in stone, after all. 

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Just as many companies have already adopted a shorter working Friday and see positive impacts, the same could happen in Brazil with the 4-day week. 

What do you think of this initiative? Share it with us in the comments and read more HR trends here on the Alymente blog!