The results of a large-scale study on the 4 day work week in the UK highlights several reasons why it is an effective alternative to the usual 40 hours, including the sleep improvement.
40% of the nearly 2,900 employees who participated in the trial say have fewer sleep problems or insomnia, according to the results. 45% did not notice any change, while 15% pointed out that they had had more problems sleeping.
The UK 4-day work week study, one of the largest in the world, involved 61 companies. A total of 56, that is, 92% of them have affirmed that will continue with this new schedule after seeing the positive results and 18 of the participating companies believe that the reduced work week is going to be a permanent policy that It will be gradually adopted.
The experiment was organized by 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with research teams from Boston College, the University of Cambridge and Autonomy. The investigation lasted from June to December of that year.
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It’s no secret that sleep is important for health. More than a third of American adults don’t get the recommended minimum 7 hours of sleep each night, according to a 2016 report from the Centers for Disease Control.
He work overload It’s probably not the only reason, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suspects it’s a relevant factor. “Businesses may consider adjusting work schedules so their workers have time to get adequate sleep,” the agency wrote when it published the report.
Much of the US research on work-related sleep focuses on the long night shifts that nurses or truckers often require. But even with a standard 40-hour workweek, work stress is a factor that can influence the quality of sleep.
A 2007 study in Sweden also linked the insomnia with stressors at worksuch as high job demands. Other Swedish research from 2019 reinforced that link with survey data collecting health data from more than 3,700 people.
A meta-analysis conducted by State Farm Insurance in 2017 found that Work stressors directly affected how people sleep. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States considers sleep disturbances to be an early warning sign of job stress.
Poor sleep is a risk to the health of workers. But It’s also bad news for companies.since it decreases the performance of the employees.
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A 2010 study calculated that the loss of productivity related to fatigue and exhaustion represented an expense of 1,844 euros per year per employee, in 4 American companies. 38% of US employees experienced fatigue at work, according to a 2007 study.
In the 4-day work week pilot project in the UK, 46% of employees report experiencing less fatigue than usual, while 14% say they have more.
The 4-day work week is also good for companies, according to the study
The companies that have participated in the investigation assure that they have clearly seen the benefits, with a median revenue increase of 1.4% during the study. According to the test results, compared to a normal 5-day work week, companies’ median revenues increased by 35%.
The sectors mainly represented in the study were companies in the marketing and advertising industryprofessional services were the second largest group, and charities and non-profit organizations the third.
62% of the employees in the study were women, 37% men, and 1% answered the “other” box.
15% of the employees who participated in the investigation responded that “no amount of money would make them accept a 5-day schedule instead of a reduced week,” according to the conclusions.
The results of the survey are revealing of the current state of mind of workers in businesses, not just in the UK, but in the US and around the world. According to an Adecco Group survey, 4 out of 10 employees claimed to have suffered burnout in the last year.
In addition to getting better sleep, surveyed employees have pointed to other advantages of working 32 hours instead of 40 for the same pay. 39% of them say they are less stressed and 71% felt they were less exhausted when the study ended.
