The first UK Local Authority trial of the four-day week has taken place. It was with about 450 desk-based staff in South Cambridgeshire District Council from January to March 2023. Analysis of the Key performance data collected during the 3-month trial is by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy. Results show the trial was successful. Many staff report significant improvement in wellbeing and home-work balance whilst broadly maintaining performance.
What is Four-Day Week?
.A four-day week is when people work one less day per week but still get the same salary and gain one day of personal time. It is different from ‘compressed’ hours (when you work the same number of hours over fewer days). This means the output is not based on number of hours worked. It is based on the delivery of service through more efficient working practices.
It aims to create a workspace where staff are able to achieve a good work/life balance. This leads to reduction in stress levels and sickness days.
Why Four-Day Week?
The four-day week is a triple dividend policy – helping employees, organisations, companies, and the climate. According to the TUC, British workers put in the longest hours in Europe without having a positive impact on productivity. Infact, the long hours culture results in stress and exhaustion which affects productivity.
The covid19 pandemic lockdown changed the way in which we work with life returning to a “new normal”. The use of technology has increased significantly from private to public sector. It is enabling more home working and flexible working whilst maintaining front-line services especially for those who are desk based.
In areas like Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire with fast growing economy and cost of living, recruitment is challenging. Options such as “golden hello” and “flexible working” offers to new employees are common. However it is not always successful in getting them to make that change.
It turns out four-day week trials were beginning to take place in the private sector in 2022. At an LGA conference a workshop discussed the recruitment and retention issues in the public sector. SCDC Council Leader was asked if she would consider four-day week as a potential solution to this problem. Conversations about a trial in the district then began after that. It led to the 3-month trial period that started in January 2023.
Benefits of Four-Day Week
The benefits we expect from a four-day week include:
- Improved employee health and wellbeing
- More motivated employees
- Improved productivity and performance
- Reduced sickness rates
- Better retention
- Improved recruitment
- Improved quality of work output
- Reduced cost of agency staff
One of the benefits that I am hoping we will get is the ability to recruit more experienced Planners and to retain them. The national shortage of planners means we use contract staff to fill a number of vacant posts. This is more expensive and does not give continuity of knowledge for our communities. And our customers also find it disruptive when case officers change during their planning application process. We would like that to improve.
Results of Four-Day Week Trial
The key to understanding how well the trial worked is in two parts. The first part is the key performance data and the other the qualitative wellbeing factor. So the Council tool up the offer from Bennett Institute for Public Policy, an independent body, to analyse the trial data. By doing this, the Council is ensuring full transparency showing it is not marking its own homework. In addition, it is ensuring that we gain from the expertise of this international well renowned organisation. Their full report is available to read on the Council website here.
Bennett Institute Analysis Performance Report
The analysis was done on 16 Key Performance Indices (KPIs), 12 of these are monthly whilst four are quarterly. The report summarises the findings as shown below
Many KPIs showed substantial improvements compared to same period last year and some stayed about the same. The few with a bit of decline had specific reasons for the showing. Most importantly there is nothing of concern in those numbers. Lessons learnt should help improve these going forward.
Health and Wellbeing Report
The analysis of this aspect is by Robertson Cooper, Wellbeing Specialists passionate about creating Good Days at Work for everyone, everywhere. The response rate was 67% for the staff participating in the four-day week trial, giving statistical confidence to the result.
The survey results show significant improvements in the wellbeing of the staff, with majority of trial participants (89%) stating they would like to see the council move to a permanent four-day week. The full report is available on the council website and a pictorial summary is shown below.
The picture tells a thousand words showing just how much improvement is gained from the short trial.
SCDC Four-day week Lessons Report
This report outlines the trial preparations and some of the key learnings. Some of this lessons may seem obvious especially when it comes to individuals being more productive. However, it all depends on the context and availability of tools that aids that focus.
The report explains some of the things that went well, some that went less well to help those who may want to test this way of working. The factors listed include selection of the non-working day, checking-in with colleagues, drop-ins, production of guiding principles for the trial, communication with colleagues and more.
These are comments from some of the participants in the trial.
The success of the 3-month trial is encouraging, as it shows performance was broadly maintained with much improved wellbeing and work-life balance for staff.
Four-Day Week Trial Next Steps
The results of the 3-month four-day week trial will be presented to the Employment and Staffing Committee at its meeting on Tuesday 2nd May 2023. Due to the success of the trial, the report is asking committee members to recommend a trial extension of one year. This time to test the level of positive outcome it can have on addressing the current recruitment and retention challenge.
The cabinet meeting where this matter will be considered is taking place on 15 May 2023.
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