What kind of companies would benefit from adopting a three-day work week?

Miriam Mara, an associate professor at Henley Business School, University of Reading, has summarised the results of various companies' initiatives to implement a three-day workweek.

A four-day week can work – if staff and employers can deal with the challenges
https://theconversation.com/a-four-day-week-can-work-if-staff-and-employers-can-deal-with-the-challenges-234504

In the past, more than 3,300 people from 70 companies participated in a three-day workweek experiment in the UK, which was able to confirm results such as a reduction in employee burnout and turnover.

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In addition, the experiment has shown to improve productivity, with some companies now introducing the three-day work week on a permanent basis.

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Meanwhile, supermarket chain Asda decided not to introduce a three-day workweek after experimenting with one. Mara said it was important to distinguish between different types of three-day workweek experiments, pointing out that unlike most three-day workweek experiments that reduce the work week to 32 hours, Asda's experiment crammed a 44-hour workweek into four days, which increased the burden on employees.

In South Cambridgeshire, England, the results of an experiment involving 450 office workers and waste collectors were announced, and it was reported that the turnover rate had improved by 39% and the council had saved £371,500 (approximately 70 million yen) in staffing costs. South Cambridgeshire Council said it introduced a three-day weekend on a trial basis because it was unable to compete with other employers on salary alone, and cited the benefit of being able to improve employee benefits without increasing the budget.

Experiments with a three-day weekend in European countries such as Portugal and Germany have reported a lot of success, but in Greece, a shortage of skilled workers and low productivity have led companies to adopt a one-day weekend, extending the work week to 48 hours.

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Mara points out that behind the experiments in Portugal and Germany, as in Greece, there is a 'shortage of skilled labor and low productivity,' and says, 'It's interesting to see the opposite policy emerge from the same motivation. Past research has shown that when people are already working too long and wages are stagnant, extending working hours does not improve productivity much.'

Regarding the three-day weekend, Mara pointed out that 'there is a risk that it could become a reason for employers not to offer adequate wages in the face of inflation', and urged that 'like other flexible working arrangements, it should be offered by employers who want to recruit talented and motivated employees, invest in them and give them the time and opportunity to develop their skills'.