Four-day working week could get more workers into the office

A new survey has revealed that a four-day working week would encourage more staff to come into the office every day.

The Unispace study ‘Returning for Good’, questioned 9,500 employees and 6,650 employers from 17 countries worldwide and found that 88% of professionals would want to trial a four-day working week, however just 42% of employers would be keen to do so.

Interestingly, 46% of workers would be willing to work from the office every day, rather than on a hybrid basis, if the four-day working model was adopted by their employer.

Of the employees surveyed, the top sectors interested in the four-day week are:

• Technology
• Media and telecoms
• Consumer goods
• Financial services
• Banking and insurance

Lawrence Mohuiddine, CEO EMEA at Unispace, commented, “It is perhaps no surprise that many employees are keen on a shift to a four-day working week given the increased flexibility in how and where people work.

“However, we feel that it could also have real benefits for many employers, not least in their ability to encourage their staff back to the office and, in the long term, to retain their talent more effectively.”

“When combined with a return to the office, the shift to working in this way could lead to improved productivity amongst workforces too, so it is certainly something for employers to consider, particularly those who are battling high levels of staff attrition. Obviously, this is not possible for firms in every sector, but for many, it could lead to their staff returning to work from the office on a more regular basis.”

“A study by the World Economic Forum found that 90% of firms that trialled the new working model looked to retain it after the programme was finished and that this way of operating led to improved morale, fewer absences and, notably, lower levels of staff burnout.”

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