More people have adopted the four-day work week – here’s why
More than 50 organizations, collectively employing more than 1,400 people, have moved to a four-day working week in 2025, according to new figures.
The 4 Day Week Foundation announced that the total number of employees currently benefiting from this model is over 6,000 across 253 accredited businesses.
Newly certified employers represent a wide range of sectors, including business, consultancy, management, charities, technology, retail, housing, engineering, marketing, arts and entertainment, manufacturing, gaming, recruitment, heritage, healthcare and education.
While London was the region that saw the highest number of these new accreditations, Scotland and the North West also saw significant adoption.
Joe Ryle, the charity’s campaign director, said the latest figures showed UK employers no longer had any practical barrier to making the switch.
“These companies prove that there is nothing stopping UK organizations from switching to a four-day week,” he said.
“Employers in almost every sector and region are showing that shorter working weeks increase productivity, improve wellbeing and help attract and retain talent – all without taking a pay cut.
“The question is no longer whether this will work, but how quickly others will follow.”
A total of 53 newly accredited organizations adopted the four-day week permanently last year without any loss of wages, the foundation said.
Researchers in the US found last year that working a four-day week could help workers protect their mental health.
A team from Boston College said their groundbreaking study found that change was associated with high levels of satisfaction for both employers and employees.
More than 100 companies and approximately 2,900 workers in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and Ireland participated in the study.
This included an improvement in productivity and an increase in income, a positive impact on physical and mental health, and less stress and burnout.
A 2024 survey of more than 2,000 full-time U.S. workers found that more than half of respondents reported feeling exhausted due to chronic workplace stress in the past year.
According to their evaluations, the main reason employees remain productive is because companies reduce or cut out questionable or low-value activities, including meetings. Instead, meetings turned into phone calls and conversations via messaging apps.
Another important factor was that employees used their third day off for doctor appointments and other personal business; otherwise they would try to fit it into the work day.
The study, published Monday in the journal Nature Human Behavior, based on previous research following a recent study that found similar benefits. Long working hours may change brain structure.
