A new study of nearly 30 businesses running a four-day work week pilot program found that both employees and employers benefit from operating on the shorter schedule.
The organization 4-Day Work Week Global found improvements in several areas such as productivity, stress and anxiety levels, employee retention, work-life balance and a rise in revenue for participating companies with a 4-day week.
Juliet Shor, a professor of sociology at Boston College and a lead researcher in the trial, described the results as "off the charts positive."
"People became more focused, less distracted and sort of more eager to get things done," Schor said on Greater Boston.
Jon Leland, the chief strategy officer for Kickstarter, participated in the trial. He said the company saw an increase in employee engagement and productivity and a reduction in stress. Leland noted that Kickstarter was retaining more employees and hiring faster, which is crucial for the company of about 100 workers.
Employees in the study reported using the extra time to spend with family, take care of household chores and work on personal creative projects.
"It's helped on the individual level but also on the whole organizational level as well," Leland said.
Watch: Is a 4-day work week the future? Study points to yes
