Tech companies are exploring four-day workweeks to improve employee wellbeing, reduce burnout and strengthen their ability to attract and retain staff. The business case is not simply that people can do the same work in less time: it depends on redesigning work—cutting low-value meetings, improving handoffs and arranging coverage so shorter schedules do not leave customers unsupported.
What “four-day workweek” means—and what it does not
In the best-known UK trial, a four-day week meant a 20% reduction in working hours with no reduction in pay—not the same hours packed into four longer days. Participating organizations used different schedules, including a shared day off, staggered days off and shorter working time spread across the week. The distinction matters: compressed hours can create a four-day schedule, but do not provide the same reduction in working time. UKRI explains the distinction.
What the trials suggest—and where the evidence stops
Wellbeing, absence and retention
The UK pilot ran from June to December 2022 and involved 61 organizations that committed to reducing working hours by 20% without reducing pay. In UKRI’s 2024 summary, more than two-thirds of participants reported lower burnout, 39% said they felt less stressed, and 40% reported fewer sleep difficulties. UKRI also reported improvements in anxiety, fatigue, and mental and physical health. These are reported outcomes among trial participants, not guaranteed effects for every employer or role.
UKRI reported a 65% reduction in sick days and a 57% fall in staff leaving organizations during the pilot. The figures are encouraging signals for employers considering wellbeing and retention, but they do not establish that a four-day week alone caused the changes in every organization.
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Revenue and whether organizations continued
Average revenue rose 1.4% among the 23 UK pilot organizations that supplied revenue data, according to UKRI’s 2024 summary. Because that figure comes from a subset of the 61 organizations, it should not be treated as a forecast for companies generally. UKRI also reported that 56 of the 61 organizations were still operating a four-day week a year after the pilot.
A broader 2025 Nature Human Behaviour study describes pre- and post-trial data from 2,896 employees in 141 organizations across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the US. Its indexed abstract reports improvements in burnout, job satisfaction, mental health and physical health that were not observed in 12 control companies. That is multi-country evidence, but it does not establish that every organization, job type or schedule will see the same results. See the study record.
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Why technology companies see an opportunity
Technology work can offer room to rethink meetings, handoffs and asynchronous tasks. In the UK trial, organizations used shorter meetings and technology as ways to reduce working time without compromising productivity, according to UKRI. Those are possible levers, not proof that all technology work can be reduced or compressed equally.
Sector examples offer illustrations rather than controlled comparisons. ITPro reports that cloud-service provider Civo said output stayed broadly the same while wellbeing and engagement improved. Marketing technology firm Awin reported the same or increased productivity and gave staff flexibility in arranging the shorter week. Both companies also associated wellbeing benefits with attracting and retaining talent; those accounts do not establish an industry-wide hiring effect. ITPro’s reporting on the company examples.
How a tech company can make a shorter week work
A workable policy needs to protect both employee time and the service customers receive. Before launch, a company can compare its options against these practical questions:
- Hours: Does the plan reduce weekly working time, or compress the same hours into four longer days?
- Coverage: Will teams share a day off, stagger days off or tailor schedules by role? Who handles urgent customer or client needs?
- Work redesign: Which meetings, handoffs or low-value tasks can be shortened or removed? What technology changes will actually reduce friction?
- Measures: Will leaders track output and service quality alongside wellbeing, absence and retention, rather than assuming more hours automatically mean more work?
- Fairness and fit: Does the arrangement work for different roles, teams and employee needs? UKRI’s qualitative research considered whether implementation was fair and inclusive.
A pilot with clear expectations and employee feedback can help a company see where its design needs adjustment. Coverage and backup arrangements should be settled in advance; ITPro’s reported examples emphasize that client-service commitments still need to be met.
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Does a four-day week hurt productivity?
The available evidence does not show that a shorter week automatically reduces output, but neither does it guarantee unchanged productivity. UKRI’s trial summary describes organizations reducing hours while using technology and shorter meetings; Civo and Awin reported their own experiences to ITPro. Those company accounts are useful examples, not controlled proof that the approach will work the same way elsewhere.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why this could matter to employees’ finances
For workers, the pay detail is central: the UK pilot kept pay unchanged while cutting hours. That is different from an employer reducing hours and pay together, or asking staff to fit a full week into four longer shifts. Anyone evaluating a policy should check its effect on pay, benefits, working hours and availability expectations rather than assuming every “four-day week” means the same arrangement.
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