Four-day work week results in less absences and greater productivity, charity finds
dailyrecord.co.ukA four-day working week has resulted in significantly less staff absences and greater rates of productivity, a Scots charity has found.Advice Direct Scotland gave its staff an additional day off a week while continuing to pay workers the same money in late 2018.Employees were not given the same day off to ensure that a five-day service was still being delivered.
A report from the experiment found that there was a 71 per cent fall in employee absences since 2018, while the average number of absent days fell by 55 per cent.
The rate of people leaving the company dropped by a third, while there was an improvement in the standard of people applying for roles - with many stating the better work-life balance was crucial in their decision to apply.Staff at the organisation kept a record of their own and their team’s productivity, with all departments reporting a substantial increase in output.Incidents of work related stress also fell during the three years of the new working model.Julie Murphy, 32, Dumbarton, a team manager at Advice Direct Scotland, said: “Working a four-day week has provided me with a fantastic work-life balance. “I have a young daughter and having three days off a week means I can spend more time with her than I expected.“It has cost us less in childcare – whilst still earning a full-time salary.“This additional time/money has benefited us greatly and we have managed to renovate our house and enjoy trips around Scotland – neither of which would have been possible whilst working a regular five-day week.”Andrew Bartlett, Chief Executive of Advice Direct Scotland, said: “More workers and employers are recognising the importance of positive wellbeing, and a four-day week is a fantastic way to achieve this.Did
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