The results of Ireland’s first coordinated reduced worktime trial have been a resounding success, with 100% of employees who participated in the four-day-week pilot indicating a preference for a reduced work schedule.

Backed by Fórsa and carried out in partnership by Four-Day Week Ireland, University College Dublin (UCD), and Boston College, the project examined the financial, social, and environmental impact of a four-day working week on businesses and employees in Ireland.

General Secretary of Fórsa, Kevin Callinan welcomed the research and highlighted the potential for a better future for workers:

“The four-day-week is an example of how a concept that many have questioned, can genuinely improve the future for workers. The research presented today highlights the need for a more balanced work-life schedule.

“In today’s working world there’s a mismatch between the amount of time we spend working and the time we spend with our families and friends. The four-day week can be at the forefront of a new age of work, providing transformative social benefits without losing pay or productivity,”

Kevin also noted the opportunity to see similar trials introduced across the public sector:

“Previously, Fórsa engaged with Minister Michael McGrath and other Government officials urging them to take part in these trials.

“With a 100% success rate among employees and other positive metrics shown, there is no reason why a similar trail cannot be tested among certain areas of the public sector.”

 Research findings

Some of the key company findings from the research included:

• Four organisations tracked company industry-specific productivity metrics, and all observed improvements
• Seven companies provided data on revenue. Six out of seven companies reported their monthly revenue growth, with one seeing a decline
• Nine of the12 companies are committed to continuing with the four-day-week schedule. The other three are also planning to continue but have not committed to continuing long-term yet
• Both companies that tracked energy usage found reductions.

The research also looked at the impact the four-day week had on employees and found significant improvements in life satisfaction and a range of wellbeing outcomes.

Some of the key employee findings included:

• 100% of employees would like to continue a reduced work schedule
• There were significant improvements across a wide range of well-being metrics, including positive affect, work-family and work-life balance, and several domains of life satisfaction
• Stress, burnout, fatigue, and work-family conflict significantly declined
• Average sleep time increased from 7.02 hours a night to 7.72 hours
• Time doing hobbies (including exercise) grew by 36 minutes a week on average
• There was an increase across three forms of pro-environmental behaviour: activities (recycling, buying eco-friendly, walking & cycling over driving), education (encouraging others and educating oneself about the environment) and volunteering
• The trial was particularly successful for women. They reported a significantly greater improvement in life satisfaction, had larger gains in sleep time, and reported feeling more secure in their employment.

Chair of Four-Day Week Ireland and head of campaigns at Fórsa, Kevin Donoghue said that the report shows that the benefits of a reduced working week can be felt across all stakeholder groups.

“We are glad to be able to share the success of this trial through the launch of the report this morning and look forward to working towards making the four-day week the norm in Irish society,” he said.

You can read the full report and its findings here.