Case Closed: A New Study Says This Is What Happens When You Switch to a 4-Day Work Week

They loved it, they were more productive and less likely to leave, and when they heard about the program, job applications went through the roof.

I'm glad it worked out for them, but I don't think squeezing a full week's worth of work into three days is appropriate. The idea of a four day work week has been around for a while.

We have some information.

A new survey of 33 companies with 903 employees who adopted a four day work week as part of a pilot program shows that both the companies and the workers are happy with it.

The workers went from 40 hours to just under 35, with no loss in pay, and yet saw no reduction in productivity.

You would think that the employees would love working 80 percent of the time for 100 percent of their previous pay, but the idea that their employers also signed onto the idea is a little more surprising.

• Average revenue among participating companies rose 38%, when compared to the same period last year.
• Companies rated their experience a 9 out of 10, with regard to productivity and performance.
• Workers reported "lower levels of burnout," along with less fatigue or insomnia, and improvements in "physical and mental health."

The 4 Day Week Global Foundation is an international collaboration with researchers at Boston College, University College Dublin, and Cambridge University.

The group is dedicated to studying four day work weeks and the results of their study will be a resounding endorsement of the idea. Results from a six-month trial involving 70 companies and 3,300 workers in the UK are due in February.

One of the most interesting ideas from the study is that the entire idea of what we've been telling employees for decades was off.

As children, we were told that this is how things work for adults, and that you trade your time for money.

If you can trust each other and work toward the same goals, you can come up with a better arrangement, like trading something more along the lines of productivity or production for money.

What is the argument not to if your employees can do it in a few days? Is there a reason to return?

Jon Leland, chief strategy officer for Kickstarter, which participated in the study, said in a statement that the four-day week has changed their business and their people. Staff are more focused and dedicated, helping us hit our goals.