How four-day work weeks are increasing productivity and morale in UK workplaces

Quick takeaways:

A trial of four-day work weeks in Scotland's public sector saw work-life satisfaction soar from 4% to 84% and stress-related sickness absence fall by 26%.
Productivity improved for 71% of staff, mirroring wider UK trials where most companies maintained or grew revenue.
Success relies on thoughtful design, focusing on culture, KPIs, and employee input rather than simply cutting hours.

The concept of a four-day working week in the UK has been steadily catching on as more progressive companies recognise its benefits. Before looking at how to implement a four-day work week, it's important to understand why it has been beneficial to businesses and workers alike.

A successful 4-day work week trial by the Scottish Government has breathed new life into the concept. The lucky staff at Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) and South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) shifted to a 32-hour work week with no loss of income, and the results have been excellent. Before the trial, only 4% of staff within these organisations considered their work-life balance to be ‘highly satisfactory’. Now, only nine months later, that number has risen to a staggering 84%.

Pleasingly, the wave of recent trials around the world has concluded that these feelings may not be solely an inherent aversion to work and a desire to cling to any justification for a day off, nor is it a ‘give an inch, take a mile’ situation for employers. It turns out that maybe we’ve got a point.

The 4-Day Week Global study, conducted as a partnership between Australian and New Zealand companies, showed that 63% of businesses found it easier to attract and retain staff with a four-day work week. Through this study, 78% of employees felt happier and less stressed at work with their reduced hours.

Morale-boosting work week

There are well-evidenced benefits of a four-day work week, which show that reduced hours can significantly increase health and happiness. So, if we know that a four-day working week would be better for business and our mental and physical health, why have we been doing it wrong for so many years?

Unsurprisingly, the desire for a shorter working week isn’t new. The labour movement has laid the groundwork for better working conditions throughout the UK, and workers and unions support today’s advocacy for a four-day workweek to improve work-life balance and productivity. Whilst the ill effects of past working conditions were most obviously, and most concerningly at the time, physical, due to the nature of the labour workers were commonly engaged in, it would be wrong and short-sighted to believe that the Monday to Friday, 9.00–5.00 work life, while physically less demanding, doesn’t also cause harm.

Reducing stress and anxiety

While a century ago it was TB and lung disease from working in coal mines, and injuries sustained in unsafe work environments, now the greatest occupational hazard is stress and anxiety.

Whilst it’s easy to joke about the ‘Sunday night blues’, this rather diminishes what is actually a very real and potentially debilitating affliction. Mental health has deservedly come into the spotlight more recently, as science and technology have helped us make considerable advances in protecting and maintaining physical health and recognising the link between mental and physical health. Depression, anxiety, stress — all of these have physical manifestations and symptoms which will diminish engagement, enthusiasm, motivation, and productivity. Aside from the personal suffering they cause, undoubtedly the most concerning and obvious consequence, these are all attributes that are required — or at least, desired — of employees in the workplace. We’ve all had a run-in with Grumpy Glen from HR, with his bad attitude and snarky comments, and thought, “Just have a day off, will you?” Well, quite.

The Scottish pilot makes the wellbeing benefits of leave very hard to ignore, as mental health scores improved by 18.4%, and staff also reported a drop in work-related stress. This is a win-win for businesses and their employees as the nation struggles with rising sickness absence and burnout. You never know, even Grumpy Glen might show signs of improvement.

Lack of time off and the feeling of living to work rather than working to live can have a hugely detrimental impact on our temperament, attitude, and personality, in the worst cases, leading to depression and/or anxiety. As well as mental health problems, stress and overwork increase the risk of a wide range of health problems, from stroke and heart attack to high blood pressure. Long working hours have been linked to a higher likelihood of excessive drinking, which is one of the greatest public health issues facing the UK and is placing a substantial economic burden on the NHS.

I’ve discussed why taking time off is good for people and businesses before at length. To put it bluntly, we’re working too much, too hard, too long, and it’s making us unwell. It doesn’t take a genius to deduce that illness, physical or mental, is bad for business — it’s bad for individual businesses, it’s bad for the economy, it’s particularly bad for freelancers — and, as with other threats to business, we should be taking mitigating action.

Gaining focus and productivity with a four-day work week

In today’s fast-paced work environment, workers demand a four-day work week to improve focus and work-life balance, believing they can achieve maximum productivity and engagement within a condensed schedule. Working reduced hours doesn’t mean that productivity suffers. In Scotland, 71% of staff found themselves to be more productive in a shorter week, and less than 4% reported a decline. The results echo the UK’s wider four-day work week trial conducted from 2022 to 2023, where companies found their revenue was maintained or increased while running on reduced hours. So, it seems the message is clear: all you need is the right balance of focus to produce great results.

Final thought

As the concept of a four-day working week gains momentum in the UK and globally, many businesses see this approach as a way to achieve high performance while supporting employee wellbeing. It’s not about how many hours you want staff to work, but what you want them to do and achieve within a given time frame. If you’re getting the results you want and need, does it matter how long it takes? This also allows people to work at their own pace, self-motivate, and feel trusted and autonomous.

It shows faith in your employees’ ability to do their job. A move toward KPIs rather than hours clocked as the measure of success at work and in business means that the job always gets done, but also frees up vast amounts of time for people to spend being productive, engaged, and fulfilled in other areas of their lives. While the four-day work week isn't a magic bullet, the latest data from Scotland and around the world shows that it can significantly improve wellbeing, productivity and morale.

HR leaders will find that the challenge is not whether it will work, but ensuring that their organisations design agile, people-centred approaches to policy. If done well, these changes can create resilient workplaces with great cultures and healthier, happier staff.

FAQ

Does a four-day work week actually improve productivity and wellbeing?

Yes. Over 90% of companies that participated in a UK-wide trial of the four-day work week decided to commit to it long-term. They found that productivity had stayed the same or improved, and staff reported feeling healthier and happier at work.

Additionally, Scotland's 2024 public sector trial saw a 71% improvement in productivity and a 26% drop in stress-related sickness absence.

How can a business implement a four-day work week successfully?

The success of your four-day work week policy can depend on many factors. Many businesses opt for a 32-hour week with no pay cuts.

Key steps to consider are:

Run a pilot: Test the model with a group of staff (if possible), gather data and feedback, then refine accordingly.
Create KPIs: What are the goals and outcomes you need to see in your business? Focusing on these with staff, rather than hours worked, can help your team to stay productive in reduced hours.
Cover your roster: Create a staggered roster to ensure that customers are still serviced adequately.
Staff engagement: This is a group strategy, your team are an essential part of it. Ensure you take their feedback on board and prepare to adapt.

What are the downsides or challenges of a four-day work week?

A four-day week should form part of a wider wellbeing and culture improvement strategy. This model is not a universal fit for all people and workplaces.

Staff cover: Employees in client-facing roles may struggle to meet demand if they are unavailable when clients require their services.
Workload implementation issues: Staff should not feel pressured to fit five days of work into four; everyone's workload must be considered.
Industry demands: Many industries would suit an alternate model, such as staggered shifts or hybrid work as it may not fit their typical operations well.