A FOUR day week made staff MORE stressed for a crucial reason, a firm have said.
Tech company, Krystal, aimed to trial the shortened work schedule for six months but those plans have now been scraped.
AlamyStaff were more stressed and less happy during the trial[/caption]
Linkedin/simonblacklerA four day work week did not see productivity increase, said Krystal CEO Simon Blackler[/caption]
Simon Blackler, the company’s founder, started the scheme after research suggested four day weeks boost productivity by a whopping 40 per cent.
But, the London based IT solution provider claimed the experiment actually reduced employee happiness and increased stress – while no efficiency improvements were seen.
In an email to customers, as reported by The Times, Blackler wrote: “While team members did have the benefit of an extra day off, we discovered that the extra recovery time did not increase output by the 20 per cent necessary to replace that which had been lost.
“While the team fought admirably to keep on top of work and turned around responses as quickly as possible it came at a cost — work time was now much more stressful than before.
“The opposite of what we were trying to accomplish. During the trial you may have experienced support that was slower than you’re used to or not the usual quality.”
The tech mogul confirmed staff can expect their regular working week to return.
He stated the trial “hasn’t been a total failure” and feedback has led to some “major” adjustments.
“Staff now finish at 5pm instead of 6pm and have more evening time,” Blackler added.
This comes as more companies are leaning towards introducing four day weeks.
It was announced earlier this year there were 18 companies in the UK who made the permanent change after conducting their own trials.
British researchers found that, 71 per cent of employees involved in the six-month trial experienced less work-related “burnout“.
Plus, 39 per cent said that dropping a day of work reduced stress, compared to the start of the trial.
Additionally, there was a 65 per cent reduction in sick days, and a 57 per cent drop in the number of staff quitting their jobs – compared to the same period the previous year.
This comes as a stress expert revealed the 12 signs you need to act on to avoid life-threatening conditions.
And, with 80 per cent of Brits suffering anxiety every month – it is important to know the six physical signs of stress you should never ignore.
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