And the results are in from the world's largest test of a four day work week.
Almost every company taking part is going to keep it Kelsey you've got more on this.
It's kind of making workers happy isn't it?
>> Well guys it's Wednesday, it's hump day, we've got two more days left.
Am I right?
>> After this.
>> [CROSSTALK] >> If I can't even I can't even fathom
that a four day work week would work.
>> But here's the thing this morning 92% of those companies were learning that
tested the four day work week.
They were part of that test.
They say that they're keeping it.
>> That's true and it's a great sign for anyone who wants to use evidence based
research to make a decision about whether we should have a five day work week or
four day work week.
And if you're worried about productivity you shouldn't be because it turns out that
the four day work week based on this experiment in the UK.
Did not decline with a shorter work week.
So let's get to the details here.
As I mentioned this was a pilot program that was implemented in the UK.
And the program was the world's largest trial of the four day work week.
A majority of the supervisors and employees liked it so
much that they've decided even though the pilot's over they're going to stick to it,
they really liked it.
And they noticed that 15% of the employees who
participated in this pilot program said that literally no amount
of money would convince them to go back to working five days a week.
>> I doubt it.
>> 15% though, I think it's a realistic number.
>> $1 million dollars a day, come on.
>> [LAUGH] >> There's a certain amount of money
that can get almost anyone to do almost anything anyway.
I understand the broader point.
I am not surprised that they love it and would not want to go back.
There have been many, many tests in many different parts of the world and
they basically all said that.
>> Yeah, that's right.
And look, obviously the employees are gonna love it.
Of course we want a shorter work week.
But what stood out with this pilot program is how the employers really liked it.
So nearly 3000 employees took part in the pilot.
Which was organized by the advocacy group,
4 Day Week Global in collaboration with the research group Autonomy and
researchers at Boston College and the University of Cambridge.
So the 4 Day Week Global group is coordinating these pilot programs
as part of its global campaign to encourage.
More employers, more firms to switch to, switch from the standard
40 hour work week to a 32 hour model for the same pay and benefits.
So companies that participated could adopt different
methods to meaningfully shorten their employees work weeks,
from giving them one day a week off to reducing their working days in a year.
To average out to 32 hours per week, but
had to ensure the employees still received 100% of their pay.
So at the end of the experiment the employees reported a lot of
the things that I don't have right now including sleep,
less in terms of stress levels like better stress levels,
improved personal lives and improved mental health, okay?
And by the way I wanted to spell the notion that I'm just like kicking back on
Fridays just because I'm not on the show.
>> You said that.
>> No everyone every every once in a while someone in the company will slip and
be like but you get Fridays off.
Am I right?
No I don't I'm working on Fridays, okay.
I'm just not on the show.
I have other issues that I got to deal with that aren't on air.
You get what I'm saying?
>> I think the host doth protest too much.
I'm sure you're working very hard.
First of all you comment on the shows that we're hosting so
clearly you're not kicking back at the beach you're in real time watching.
>> Yeah and like last Friday I jumped in right away because we needed extra help
with producing the show and of course I'm gonna help produce the show.
I think I requested that actually, so thank you.
>> Yeah no problem because I'm at my computer and I'm working so
it's easy to do it anyway.
But putting that all aside, okay?
Here are more results from the program and
then I want to hear from you John because you've been a huge advocate for this.
>> The results of the UK study.
They are jarring more than 70% of the employees were less burned out.
39% less stressed and 48% more satisfied with their job.
As for the companies involved profits jumped an average of 35% from previous
years and on average rose one point 1.4% during the six month trial.
Now involved in the study were 60 companies and nearly 3000 employees.
It was a UK study specializing in healthcare, manufacturing and financing.
I spoke to the founder of the study this morning and
he tells me these are not the only results.
>> Things like sick day's hard.
Number of people who were resigning dropped.
Now all of these things are hidden costs for businesses so
they're not just seeing better output better productivity.
They're actually seeing a reduction in costs.
Which is a win win again for business.
>> Yes, I'm going to do the story all over again with jink, okay?
I know it's gonna be redundant.
A little repetitive for you guys.
It's okay because we gotta convince him their profits went up 35%.
>> Or was it that 35% of the company's had profits that went up?
Maybe I misunderstood the way.
>> Either way my point it actually was beneficial financially.
>> Well yeah and profits aren't the only measure of the economic success
of a company.
As they said if you're training less people, then that's gonna help you.
If you're not having to replace people with taking more sick days,
that's gonna help economically.
And you definitely have time to cover this,
even if it's redundant cause we're still in an antiquated five day work schedule.
>> And by the way,
let's just also dispel the notion that most Americans work 40 hour work weeks.
It's way more than that, right?
Like I wish, but it's more way more than that.
>> And by the way, this is gonna in different industries,
this would look very different, first of all, and
some of it wouldn't be possible and some of the employees might not even want it.
Like that doesn't mean that like if TYT were to do it,
we would only broadcast on four days or anything.
No, it's just that not everybody would work all of the days.
The companies can still exist.
So again, there's this very fundamental if unspoken American thing that causes
some people who generally are employers rather than employees
to have an automatic instinctive issue with this.
Every Republican is going to have a problem with this.
They won't necessarily be able to articulate how for
some it's just gonna be the fact that right wing populism at the end of the day
boils down to absolute despising workers.
But for others it's just,
it's a belief that workers are going to get away with something.
>> 100%. >> And they don't want,
it even if all of the evidence proves it'll be better for the companies, to.
>> There is this like residue of the Calvinist work ethic that
we're still grappling with and we need to dispose of it, okay?
I'm not interested in the Calvinist work ethic.
I'm interested in living my life a little bit.
>> Work ethic actually is what I would call that.
>> Yeah, exactly, exactly.
So look, if this is clearly beneficial for all parties involved,
I don't understand where the question is.
But look, there's all sorts of things that happen in,
workplaces across the country that make no sense.
Like the whole first one in last one out.
I mean think about the pressure that workers in America feel just to appear,
productive even when they don't need to be, right?
Just like the performative staff.
>> Yeah, exactly.
Like if someone like is beneficial that they have a day off,
having to say that they're at their computer,
It's like performative and I don't feel like they shouldn't have that pressure.
Okay, okay, okay.
>> Sure John [INAUDIBLE].
>> Totally kidding.
I know you're working.
I'm joking.
>> Maybe I'm not working.
Maybe I am kicking my feet up and
just enjoying some real housewives of the Potomac.
>> I hope, that was a very specific reference.
>> I actually don't watch that one.
Okay, I have a feeling you're working and if you weren't, you've been here for
a long time, you've earned it.
>> Thanks, that's sweet.
But I am working.