The Next Largest Four-Day Week Trial Is About to Begin

The largest four-day week trial will take place in the United Kingdom over the course of six months to test the viability of the growing trend that benefits workers without sacrificing productivity.

Over the course of the trial, employees are expected to follow “the 100:80:100 model — 100% of the pay for 80%, in exchange for a commitment to maintain at least 100% productivity,” as specified by the organizations running the pilot, which are 4 Day Week Global, the think tank Autonomy, and the 4 Day Week Campaign.

Some 3,000 employees from 60 UK companies and organizations will take part in the four-day week trial from June 2022 to January 2023. The data collected will be analyzed by researchers affiliated with Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Boston College to measure the well-being of workers, the impact of reduced hours on their productivity, the environment, and gender equality.

The overwhelming success of the previous largest study conducted in 2015 and 2016 in Reykjavík, Iceland proved that there were no negative effects on productivity and services, and major changes in the overall work organization were made. Today, 86% of all workers in Iceland have access to a shorter workweek. A disruptor such as the COVID pandemic changed people’s perception and expectations of a healthy life/work balance and encouraged a shift in working practices. Trials are also expected to be conducted in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.