Increased productivity and improved staff wellbeing were among the results of a year-long trial of the four-day week by the Scottish government.
Two public bodies, South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) and Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB), took part in the pilot, which was launched by Holyrood in early 2024.
The two organisations, which had 259 employees in total throughout the trial, implemented a 32-hour working week for a year without any loss in pay or benefits for staff, while committing to maintaining standards of service.
AiB and SOSE staggered the non-working day among staff to allow the bodies to function as normal, while part-time staff were offered proportional reductions in their working time.
Staff at the two organisations reported less work-related stress and greater satisfaction with their jobs and work-life balance.
Almost all workers (98%) at SOSE believed the four-day week trial improved motivation and morale, while there was a decrease in workers taking time off sick and a 25% fall in those taking sick days for psychological reasons.
SOSE is the economic and community development agency for the south of the country, while AiB is the equivalent of the Insolvency Service in England and Wales.
Campaigners and some economists say a four-day week benefits workers by giving them more time to relax and putting less strain on their mental health, while simultaneously helping businesses by making their staff more motivated and facilitating recruitment and retention.
The Autonomy Institute, the research consultancy thatdelivered the pilot for the Scottish government, found that both organisations were able to successfully shorten the working week and “demonstrated an increase in productivity”.
The time taken to respond to clients by SOSE during the pilot remained the same as a year earlier, while AiB’s three key organisational processes were deemed stable after the change.
Staff at the organisations reported that they had tried new ways of working during the pilot including planning, sharing tasks, allocating times to focus on specific tasks, digitising processes and changing the way meetings were held.
Both organisations extended their trial of the four-day week beyond the pilot scheme, with SOSE allowed to extend for six months and AiB for two.
Joe Ryle, the campaign director of the 4 Day Week Foundation, which campaigns for more businesses to take up shorter working weeks with no loss of pay, called the results “extremely encouraging”.
He said: “The four-day, 32-hour working week should now be rolled out across the public sector in Scotland. No ifs, no buts.”
The foundation has reported that more than 420 companies, which employ more than 12,000 workers, have adopted a four-day week since the pandemic, while South Cambridgeshire district council became the first UK council to permanently adopt the working pattern in July.
The Scottish government said it would use the findings to inform its wider public service reform programme to “support more efficient and innovative working practices”. For the time being, however, it has stopped short of rolling out a four-day week more widely.
