The 4-Day Work Week Results Are In. They're Better Than Expected.
200 companies tried the 4-day work week. 91% kept it. Revenue held steady. Burnout dropped 71%. Here's what made it work.
The Largest Trial Ever
The results from the world's largest 4-day work week trial are in. 200 companies across six countries participated in the 2025-2026 pilot, coordinated by 4 Day Week Global. The headline numbers: 91% of companies decided to continue the 4-day week permanently. Revenue was flat or increased at 87% of participating companies. Employee burnout dropped 71%.
The trial covered a range of industries: software, manufacturing, financial services, retail, healthcare, and nonprofits. Company sizes ranged from 10 to 3,000 employees. The diversity of participants makes these results harder to dismiss as "only works for tech companies."
How They Made It Work
Companies that succeeded shared three strategies. First, they ruthlessly cut meetings — average meeting time dropped 65%. Second, they implemented "focus blocks" — 3-4 hour periods with no interruptions. Third, they automated or eliminated low-value tasks that had survived out of habit.
The 4-day week isn't about doing less. It's about doing the same amount of meaningful work in less time by eliminating waste. Most companies discovered they had 8-10 hours per week of pure waste: unnecessary meetings, redundant processes, and performative busy-work.
Who It Doesn't Work For
Coverage-based industries — healthcare, retail, customer support — face genuine scheduling challenges. You can't close a hospital on Fridays. These companies used rotating schedules, giving each employee a different day off, which preserved coverage but reduced the cultural benefits of a shared day off.