4 Day Work Week Companies: The 73% Who Say They’ll Never Go Back
After completing Germany's largest four-day work week trial in 2024, a staggering 73% of participating companies said they're keeping
After completing Germany’s largest four-day work week trial in 2024, a staggering 73% of participating companies said they’re keeping the shortened schedule permanently or extending the experiment. These 4 day work week companies represent a growing movement that’s transforming how businesses operate worldwide. What started as a radical experiment has become an irreversible shift for forward-thinking organisations.
But Germany’s results aren’t an anomaly. From Iceland’s economic boom to the UK’s record-breaking retention rates, 4 day work week companies worldwide are discovering that working less doesn’t mean achieving less. In fact, the opposite appears to be true.
This is the story of how hundreds of companies across multiple continents tested one of the most controversial workplace changes of our time—and why most are refusing to turn back.
The German Experiment That Changed Everything
When 45 German companies signed up for a six-month four-day work week trial in February 2024, many expected a modest improvement in work-life balance. What they discovered was far more dramatic.
The trial, organised by nonprofit 4 Day Week Global and consultancy Intraprenör, followed the “100-80-100” model: employees received 100% of their pay for working 80% of the time, provided they delivered 100% of the output.
The results surprised even the researchers. Companies didn’t just maintain productivity—many improved it. Berlin-based manufacturing firms reported that production delays vanished. Tech companies discovered their teams became sharper and more focused. Service businesses found that shorter weeks forced them to eliminate wasteful processes they’d tolerated for years.
“What is this study tells us about how much useless things we are spending doing at work?” asked Carsten Meier, managing director at Intraprenör, who oversaw the trial. “A lot. The main thing is meetings. To reduce meetings or structure meetings better, make them more productive.”
The transformation went beyond productivity. Researchers used innovative methods including hair sample analysis and smartwatch monitoring to track health impacts. The data showed reduced stress levels, better sleep patterns, and increased physical activity among participants.
Only two companies dropped out early, both citing economic difficulties rather than problems with the four-day model itself. The remaining companies were so convinced that 73% committed to continuing the experiment—a retention rate that would make any product manager jealous.
Iceland’s Nationwide Success Story
While Germany’s trial grabbed headlines, Iceland has been quietly proving the four-day work week’s viability on a national scale for nearly a decade.
Between 2015 and 2019, Iceland conducted one of the largest workplace experiments in history. Over 2,500 workers—more than 1% of the country’s entire workforce—participated in trials that reduced weekly hours from 40 to 35-36 without pay cuts.
The results were so compelling that by 2022, unions representing nearly 90% of Iceland’s workforce had negotiated the right to request shorter hours. The economic impact has been remarkable: Iceland’s economy expanded by 5% in 2023, outperforming most European peers, while maintaining an unemployment rate of just 3.4%—roughly half the European average.
“Overall, the Icelandic economy has remained strong post the introduction of a widespread shorter working week,” noted Will Stronge, director of research at The Autonomy Institute. “Growth is a strong indicator of the economy’s vitality.”
The success wasn’t limited to economic metrics. Researchers found that productivity stayed consistent or improved in most workplaces, while worker wellbeing increased “dramatically” across measures including stress, burnout, health, and work-life balance.
The UK’s Record-Breaking Trial
The United Kingdom’s 2022 experiment became the world’s largest coordinated four-day week trial, involving 61 companies and providing the most comprehensive data set to date.
The six-month trial, conducted by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with researchers from Boston College and the University of Cambridge, delivered results that even supporters found remarkable. By the end of the trial, 91% of companies were continuing with the four-day schedule, while 51% made it permanently official.
Perhaps most telling was employee sentiment: 15% of participants said no amount of money could convince them to return to a five-day schedule. The psychological shift was profound—workers had experienced a fundamentally different relationship with work and weren’t willing to give it up.
Companies reported improvements across multiple metrics: reduced turnover, decreased absenteeism, and maintained or improved productivity. Revenue remained stable or increased for most participants, dispelling fears that fewer working days would hurt the bottom line.
The trial’s follow-up study, conducted a year later, showed the results were sustainable. Of the original 61 companies, 54 (89%) were still operating with shorter weeks, proving this wasn’t just a temporary honeymoon effect.
Belgium Leads European Policy
While other countries conducted trials, Belgium took a different approach: they made it law.
In 2022, Belgium became the first European country to legislate the right to a four-day work week. The policy allows employees to compress their full-time hours into four days without salary reduction, giving workers the choice between traditional five-day schedules and the compressed alternative.
“The goal is to give people and companies more freedom to arrange their work time,” explained Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo. The policy reflects Belgium’s broader strategy to increase workplace flexibility and compete for talent in an increasingly dynamic economy.
What Companies Actually Changed
The success of 4 day work week companies didn’t happen by accident. The transition forced businesses to examine and optimise every aspect of their operations.
Meeting Overhauls The most common change was meeting reform. Companies eliminated redundant meetings, shortened remaining ones, and implemented strict agenda requirements. Many adopted “no-meeting” blocks to protect focused work time.
Process Automation With less time available, companies fast-tracked automation projects they’d been postponing. German participants reported that 25% doubled down on digitalisation, particularly among mid-sized companies that had been slow to adopt new technologies.
Communication Efficiency Teams developed more structured communication protocols. Email chains gave way to collaborative platforms, and companies established clearer guidelines about when different communication methods should be used.
Output-Focused Metrics The traditional “time in seat” mentality shifted to results-based evaluation. Companies developed better methods for measuring actual output rather than hours worked, leading to more meaningful performance assessments.
Strategic Workforce Planning Businesses became more intentional about hiring and resource allocation. Rather than defaulting to long hours to handle workload spikes, companies invested in better planning and temporary staff solutions.
The Startup Advantage
For startups and growing companies, the four-day work week offers particular advantages that established corporations might struggle to realise.
Talent Attraction In competitive job markets, offering a four-day week has become a significant differentiator. Early-stage companies can compete with established firms’ salary packages by offering superior work-life balance.
Cultural Foundation Implementing shorter weeks from the beginning is easier than changing established cultures. Startups can build efficiency and output-focused thinking into their DNA rather than retrofitting existing processes.
Operational Agility Smaller teams are naturally more agile when implementing new working patterns. Startups can experiment with different approaches—some try Monday-off schedules, others prefer Friday-off, and some offer flexible four-day options.
Investor Appeal Forward-thinking policies can appeal to investors who recognise that sustainable, efficient operations often outperform companies that rely on overwork to drive growth.
Challenges and Limitations
The four-day work week isn’t universally applicable, and honest assessments reveal important limitations.
Industry Constraints Customer-facing businesses, manufacturing with tight schedules, and healthcare providers face operational challenges that make implementation more complex. Some German trial participants noted that client expectations didn’t automatically adjust to shortened schedules.
Implementation Costs The transition requires investment in training, process redesign, and sometimes additional hiring. Smaller companies may struggle with the upfront costs, even if long-term benefits are clear.
Client and Partner Coordination Businesses discovered that success often depends on external stakeholders’ flexibility. Companies working across time zones or with traditional five-day week partners needed creative solutions to maintain service levels.
Management Adaptation Some managers struggled to shift from time-based to output-based oversight. The transition requires developing new skills for measuring productivity and managing distributed work patterns.
The Economic Reality Check
Critics often argue that four-day weeks are unrealistic luxuries that ignore economic pressures. The evidence suggests otherwise.
Iceland’s 5% economic growth while implementing nationwide shorter weeks challenges the assumption that more hours equal more output. German companies maintained financial performance despite reduced hours. UK businesses reported stable or improved revenue.
The key insight is that many traditional work patterns include significant inefficiencies. The four-day week forces companies to eliminate waste, streamline processes, and focus on high-impact activities. The result is often the same output with greater efficiency.
Labour economist Enzo Weber from the University of Regensburg noted that while the trials show promise, broader implementation will require careful consideration of industry-specific factors and economic conditions. However, the consistent positive results across diverse sectors suggest the model has broader applicability than initially expected.
Global Momentum Building
The movement extends far beyond the countries that have conducted formal trials. Individual 4 day work week companies worldwide are experimenting with shorter weeks, often inspired by the published results from national programs.
In New Zealand, consumer goods giant Unilever expanded their four-day week trial from local operations to Australia after “encouraging results” including revenue growth and a 34% drop in absenteeism.
South Africa launched its own trial in 2024 with over 500 employees across 28 companies, while Ireland, Spain, and Portugal have all initiated or announced four-day week experiments.
The pattern is consistent across different sectors: 4 day work week companies that try it, keep it. The retention rates across different countries and cultures suggest the benefits transcend specific national or economic contexts.
Implementation Lessons for Leaders
Companies considering the transition can learn from successful implementers:
Start with Preparation Successful trials typically include 2-3 months of preparation focused on process optimisation and clear goal-setting before reducing hours.
Measure Relentlessly Track productivity, financial performance, employee satisfaction, and client satisfaction throughout the transition. Data helps identify issues early and demonstrates ROI to stakeholders.
Involve Everyone The most successful implementations involve employees in designing new workflows rather than imposing top-down changes.
Set Clear Boundaries Define expectations about availability, emergency contact procedures, and client communication to avoid confusion.
Plan for Adjustment Allow flexibility to modify the approach based on early results rather than rigidly sticking to initial plans.
The Future of Work
The four-day work week represents more than a scheduling change—it’s a fundamental rethinking of the relationship between time, productivity, and human wellbeing.
As remote work normalised seemingly overnight during the pandemic, the four-day week may be the next major workplace evolution. The difference is that this change comes with extensive data supporting its effectiveness.
For startup founders and business leaders, the question isn’t whether the four-day week works—the evidence is clear that it does for many types of businesses. The question is whether they’re willing to lead the change or wait for competitors to gain the advantages of improved retention, higher productivity, and superior talent attraction.
The companies that have made the switch offer a compelling message: working smarter, not longer, creates better outcomes for everyone involved. As more 4 day work week companies prove this model’s effectiveness, the traditional five-day schedule may become the exception rather than the rule.
