Scottish government trial of four-day week improves productivity and staff wellbeing | Four-day week
Increased productivity and improved personnel prosperity were among the Scottish Government of the hearing, which lasted one year every four days a week.
Two public institutions in the south of Scotland Enterprise (SOS) and the Bankruptcy Accountant (AIB) took part in the pilot. Started by Holyrood At the beginning of 2024.
During the trial, the two organizations with a total of 259 employees committed a 32 -hour working week for a year without any wage or benefit for personnel, while committing to protecting service standards.
AIB and Sose staggered the day that did not work between the staff to allow the bodies to function normal, and proportional discounts were proportional to part -time personnel.
The personnel in the two organizations reported more satisfaction with less stress and work and work-life balance.
While almost all workers in Sose (98%) believed in the improvement of motivation and morale of the four -day weekly hearing, the workers decreased by a decrease and a 25% decrease in the patient days due to psychological reasons.
Sose is the Economic and Society Development Agency in the south of the country, and AIB is the equivalent of the bankruptcy service in England and Wales.
Campaigns and some economists say that it helps businesses by giving more time to relaxing a four -day week workers and providing less difficulty in their mental health, at the same time motivating their staff and facilitating recruitment and handling.
Institute of AutonomyResearch consultancy, which directs the pilot for the Scottish government, found that both organizations were able to shorten the working week successfully and çıkmış an increase in productivity ”.
During the pilot, the time to respond to customers by Sose remained the same compared to the previous year, while the three key organizations of AIB were accepted stable after the change.
The personnel in the organizations reported that they have tried new ways of working, such as planning, tasks sharing, time to focus on certain tasks, digitalization of processes and changing the way meetings are held.
Both organizations extended their hearings at the four -day weeks beyond the pilot plan and was allowed to reach Sose for six months.
Joe Ryle, the campaign director of the 4 -day weekly foundation, who campaign to take shorter working weeks without wage loss, described the results as “extremely encouraging”.
He said: “Four -day, 32 -hour working week should now be presented to the public sector in Scotland. No ifs, no.”
The Foundation has accepted a four -day week of more than 420 companies employing more than 12,000 workers, while South Cambridgeshire Regional Council The first UK Council to adopt permanently Working model in July.
The Scottish government said it would use the findings to inform the wider public service reform program to “support more efficient and innovative work practices”. For now, however, he gave up publishing a four -day week wider.
