The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

A four-day workweek pilot was so successful most firms say they won’t go back

15 percent of employees who participated said that “no amount of money” would convince them to go back to working five days a week

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February 21, 2023 at 11:03 a.m. EST
Fifteen percent of employees who took part in the trial said that no amount of money would convince them to accept a job with a five-day workweek. (Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
6 min

If the idea of working four days a week for the same pay sounds like music to your ears, the results of a pilot program from the United Kingdom may give you cause for hope.

Dozens of companies there took part in the world’s largest trial of the four-day workweek — and a majority of supervisors and employees liked it so much they’ve decided to keep the arrangement. In fact, 15 percent of the employees who participated said “no amount of money” would convince them to go back to working five days a week.