The four-day working week has been found to boost wellbeing and efficiency, but these benefits will only be realised if it is implemented properly, according to workplace experts.

The four-day work week, where employees work one less day per week for the same pay while maintaining the same level of productivity, has skyrocketed in popularity following the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has been implemented around the world, including by a series of Australian companies of all sizes, and has been found to be popular with workers and employers alike.

A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour this week found that the workplace initiative has a number of tangible benefits for employees.

Based on a six-month trial of the concept covering nearly 3,000 employees across more than 140 companies, including some in Australia, it found widespread improvements in burnout, job satisfaction, mental health and physical health.

The study found that this was mostly through improved self-reported work ability, reduced sleep problems and decreased fatigue.

“The results indicate that income-preserving four-day work weeks are an effective organisational intervention for enhancing workers’ wellbeing,” the study said.

An add-on, not a replacement

But to achieve these substantial upsides, it’s important for the four-day work week to be implemented strategically in an organisation, according to recruiter Robert Half director Tom Ward.

“To truly leverage the benefits, a four-day week should complement, rather than replace, other established flexible work options like working from home and flexible hours,” Ward told Information Age.

“Organisations that embrace this comprehensive view of flexible work where the four-day week is an addition to a suite of options will be the ones that win the war for talent.

“They’ll foster a culture of high performance and genuine support, differentiating themselves as employers of choice who truly understand and respond to the evolving demands of modern professional life.”

According to a survey conducted by HR software firm HiBob, 65 per cent of workers want to work a four-day week, but only a third are willing to give up other flexible arrangements in exchange for it.

This is even starker for women, with less than a quarter willing to trade hybrid work for a shorter week, compared to more than 40 per cent of men.

“Employees are rightly cautious about pitfalls like workload compression or losing the hard-won autonomy they now value so highly,” HiBob customer success manager Sabrina Scherm said.

“Getting it right is about more than a simple policy change; it’s about redesigning how work actually gets done so teams can be truly effective in a shorter week.

“If you try to force a compromise without putting in that effort, you risk breaking trust and watching your team’s morale and engagement fall by the wayside.”

The rise of the four-day week

According to a number of studies, most companies that experiment with the four-day week are sticking with it permanently.

The 4 Day Week Global organisation runs trials of the concept around the world.

A recent report on 45 German companies that did a six-month trial of the initiative found that most of the participating organisations would not be returning to a full five-day work week after they observed major improvements to the physical and mental wellbeing of workers, without a decline in revenue or profits.

Other studies into the workplace concept have found that employees working four days a week are far less likely to experience burnout and are more effective and efficient employees.

There has also been pushes by governments for a trial of the four-day work week in the public sector, while the Greens have called for the establishment of a national institute to coordinate trials of the initiative and to back a Fair Work Commission test case into the matter.