Wellbeing increases when working hours are reduced
Since the beginning of 2024, 45 organisations from various sectors in Germany have been taking part in a six-month pilot project by the Berlin consultancy Intraprenör and the organisation “4 Day Week Global” to trial the four-day week. On October 18th (Friday), the researcher presented the first scientific results together with Carsten Meier, co-initiator of the pilot project and Managing Director of Intraprenör.
By taking part in the study, the participating organisations hoped to find answers to the questions of whether the four-day week can lead to an increase in employer attractiveness, better employee health and a sustainable future direction and insights on how the changes might affect productivity. “Although there were slight increases in key financial performance indicators such as turnover and profit, these were not significantly different from the previous year. Nevertheless, the unchanged key metrics indicate possible productivity gains despite the reduced working hours,” explained Julia Backmann. Survey results by top management and employees supported the assumption that performance and productivity improved during the trial. “Both sides noticed an increase in productivity.”
The reduction in normal working hours was not achieved at the cost for increased overtime hours. Instead, employees implemented several measures. More than 60% cited reducing distractions and streamlining processes, while just over half changed their meeting culture by reducing the frequency and length of internal meetings, for example. A quarter of respondents introduced new digital tools to further increase efficiency. “The potential of reduced working hours seems to be hidden under complicated processes, meetings and a lack of digitalisation,” explained co-initiator Carsten Meier. “Organizations need to do the necessary transformation work to fully realise the benefits of a Four-Day Week.”
Although the organisational data showed a slight reduction in monthly sick days, the difference was not statistically significant compared to 2023. In contrast to similar studies abroad, the team of scientists from the University of Münster also found no evidence that the four-day week had a positive impact on environmentally conscious behaviour or the carbon footprint. On the contrary, it was found that domestic travel increased.
The results suggest that the four-day week in Germany will not end with the project. More than 70% of the participating organisations indicated that they would like to continue, either by extending the test phase or by fully implementing a four-day week.
Method
The research involved three waves of data collection. The research team conducted interviews and quantitative surveys with employees and organisations and collected physiological data, for example by using smartwatch devices and measuring the stress hormone cortisol in hair samples. Organisational key metrics were also collected and analyzed. Control groups within the organisations who did not implement the four-day week were also surveyed.
The organisations themselves decided how they wanted to implement the four-day week. 60% of them applied it to the entire workforce. Larger organisations introduced the four-day week only for certain employees or teams. The models differed in the extent to which working hours were reduced and the flexibility of days off. The majority (85%) granted one fixed or flexible day off per week.
The participating organisations covered a wide range of sectors, including consulting and services, manufacturing, care, IT and media. The size ranged from companies with less than ten employees (15%) to large organisations with more than 250 employees (14%). The majority of the organisations were small (10-49 employees) and medium-sized (50-249 employees) companies.
The organisations were able to take part in up to 15 digital workshops, for example on identifying the right work time reduction model and optimising work processes. They also had the opportunity to participate in digital and face-to-face networking meetings to share experiences and insights.
While 51% of the organisations met the official start date of 1 February 2024, others started between January and June. By October 2024, 41 organisations had either completed or were close to completing the test phase. Of the original 45 organisations, two dropped out due to economic challenges or lack of internal support for the four-day week – both of which were large companies.
Background
There have been experiments and projects on the four-day week in several countries, including the UK, Portugal, South Africa and more. In partnership with the non-profit organisation “4 Day Week Global”, the Berlin-based consultancy Intraprenör organised the first large-scale pilot study on the four-day week in Germany. The pilot study was a scientifically and organisationally supported six-month test of the four-day week in companies. The focus was on trialling reduced working hours for the same salary and productivity.
Professor Dr Julia Backmann, Chair for Transformation of Work, Co-Director of the Center for Business Transformation at the University of Münster and scientific director of the pilot study on the four-day week
Dr Felix Hoch, Assistant Professor at the Chair for Transformation of Work at the University of Münster and scientific co-leader of the pilot study on the four-day week
Carsten Meier, Managing Director of Intraprenör and co-initiator of the pilot study on the four-day week in Germany