PA MediaA Scottish Government pilot of a four-day work week at two public sector bodies was a success, a report has suggested, but ministers have said the move will not be made permanent “at this time”.
South of Scotland Enterprise and the Accountant in Bankruptcy moved to the new pattern to assess how it could work.
According to evaluation by research organisation the Autonomy Institute, the pilot was hugely popular among staff and did not lead to a drop in productivity.
At the Accountant in Bankruptcy, the research found an 18.4% improvement in the self-reported mental health of staff and the same level of improvement in fatigue and burnout, while 46.8% reported greater “satisfaction with time”.
At South of Scotland Enterprise, the proportion of staff who reported being “very satisfied” with their work-life balance rose from 4% to a staggering 84% at the end of the pilot, while 83% said there had been a reduction in stress and 98% believed it had led to an improvement in motivation and morale.
“In general, the pilot was also extremely popular with staff,” the report said.
“Staff who were interviewed often gave highly enthusiastic accounts of their experiences and almost unanimously hoped the policy would be continued beyond the pilot.
“Staff with care responsibilities seemed to be particularly supportive of the pilot, often using emotive phrases such as ‘life-changing’.”
The Government issued a call for public sector bodies to come forward to take part in the pilot in 2023, with the two agencies tasked with reducing the working hours of staff without a reduction in pay.
To do so, days off were staggered for staff throughout the week to ensure the agencies could continue their work and days off could be interrupted or cancelled in certain circumstances.
Both bodies sought and were granted extensions to the four-day working week, for six months at South of Scotland Enterprise and two months at the Accountant in Bankruptcy.
But despite its popularity with staff and bosses, the pilot will not be extended to other parts of the public sector, finance minister Ivan McKee has said.
“While the Scottish Government and its agencies will not be moving to a 32-hour week at this time, the pilot has identified several examples of more efficient and innovative working practices which will be made available to the wider public sector to help drive reform,” the minister said.
“I am grateful to staff members at South of Scotland Enterprise and Accountant in Bankruptcy who have shown the benefits of skill-sharing and closer working through the pilot and accompanying evaluation.
“The Scottish Government continues to support flexible working arrangements that enhance wellbeing and operational efficiency, including the recent move to a 35-hour working week framework.”
Will Stronge, chief executive of the Autonomy Institute, said the results showed “both the workers and employers involved are thriving”.
He added: “Until now, much of the research into four-day working weeks has been focused on the private sector.
“However, these groundbreaking results show that the public sector can reap similar benefits, including improved productivity, employee well-being, and work-life balance.
“As the introduction of AI accelerates across industries, it’s crucial that workers in both the public and private sectors experience the benefits of these advancements, and one of the easiest ways of achieving this is by shortening the working week.”
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