South Cambridgeshire District Council have been trialling a reduced working week on full pay earlier this year and are now seeking to extend the experiment citing both improved employee well-being and cost-savings.
The test has so far shown results such as:
📉 36% reduction in staff turnover.
💰 £1m in projected total savings with £776k coming from the reduced use of agency staff to cover vacancies.
⬇ 33% drop in sickness.
📉 Council complaints reduced 3%.
The UK Government is not supportive of councils that have initiated this policy, warning last week that any council pursuing a four-day working week would be "on notice" and should "cease immediately".
Given the current financial turmoil of local authorities vs service provision and ensuring value for residents, it is understandable there is push back but should we be ignoring the data and potential well-being impact?
Research by Gallup conducted in 2022 does however find both positive and negative impacts of working a shorter week. While employee wellbeing rises and burnout reduces due to a four-day workweek, active disengagement can also spike: workers who are already feeling disconnected from their company become more likely to drift further away if they work fewer days.
Some workers may resist having a compressed workweek, with potentially longer hours and fewer breaks, imposed on them by an employer. Others may already be working at full tilt, meaning a shorter workweek could make their workload less manageable.
Other potential pitfalls with the four-day workweek is the impact on teamwork: employees are so focused on getting their tasks done in the tighter timeframe that it extinguishes the spark of collaboration
Currently many organisations are looking for new ways to attract and retain the best talent in light of strain on staff turnover due to the latent impact of Coivd-19 and economic instability – according to a recent survey of 4,000 workers in the US, 83% want a four-day workweek. This makes it more likely that firms could rush into a shorter workweek, and figure out substantial policy changes on-the-hoof.
Rather than piling pressure on staff to work more quickly over fewer days, careful thought and preparation are crucial to making the working model sustainable. If you are a business considering the shift, a more bespoke working model for each employee – which may include a shorter workweek – may be a better solution than simply imposing a four-day week pattern on all staff members.
Making the model work will require strong alignment on goals, the workplace culture and the personalities involved.
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