While Kerala is thinking about the fourth Saturday holiday, people in Britain are thinking about working only four days a week. 2900 workers in 61 companies participated in the experiment which started 6 months ago. There was also help from Cambridge University, Boston College and some voluntary organizations. The result was great.
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Ananda per capita
The biggest benefit seen in the experiment is the improved mental health of the workers. 71% said stress was significantly reduced. 60% said work-life balance had improved. Sleep and rest habits become more healthy.
The state of the companies? They are also happy. No drop in income. Some companies, on the other hand, saw an increase in revenue. Companies from different sectors like marketing, finance, volunteering and others participated in the experiment. 18% of organizations have decided to continue this practice. 92% of organizations have a generally sympathetic attitude. But there is a problem of how to implement this in health and tourism sectors where employees have to work longer days.
Nature is also happy
If the work is only 4 days a week, there are environmental improvements. Travel to workplaces will be reduced. Carbon emissions are reduced when fuel use is reduced. In Belgium, workers who do not want this method have a legal right to choose it. 90% of employees in Iceland follow this practice. It is expected that similar experiments will be started soon in countries like Germany, New Zealand, Canada and the US.
In India?
In 1920, Henry Ford devised the 5-day work method. Although the method has been widely accepted abroad, the 6-day working method still exists in India today in most sectors. The exception to this is IT. Although it may not change overnight, the 4-day work pattern has potential in India too – especially in technology, banking, e-commerce and insurance sectors. The Karnataka Assembly recently passed a bill to give one more day off to those who work for 12 hours a day.
4-day work week trial yields overwhelming success in U.K