Thousands of UK workers started a four-day work week on Monday, with no pay decrease, as part of the world's largest trial.
The six-month project includes 3,300 workers from 70 different organizations, ranging from financial services providers to a fish-and-chip restaurant, CNN reports.
Workers will receive 100% of their compensation for working only 80% of their normal week in exchange for a promise to retain 100% of their productivity during the program.
In collaboration with researchers from Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Boston College, the program is being run by the non-profit 4 Day Week Global, Autonomy, a think tank, and the 4 Day Week UK Campaign.
The company's main purpose, according to Sienna O'Rourke, brand manager at Pressure Drop Brewing, an independent brewery in London, is to improve the mental health and well-being of its staff.
"The pandemic [has] made us think a great deal about work and how people organize their lives," she told CNN. "We're doing this to improve the lives of our staff and be part of a progressive change in the world."
Iceland had previously conducted the largest pilot of a shorter working week between 2015 and 2019, with 2,500 public sector workers participating in two large trials. Those trials revealed no corresponding drop in participant productivity and a dramatic increase in employee well-being.
In recent years, calls to reduce the working week have gained traction in a number of countries. During the pandemic, millions of employees switched to remote work, reducing time and costs associated with commuting. As a result, calls for more flexibility have only gotten louder.
Government-backed trials are set to take place in Spain and Scotland later this year, the 4 Day Week Campaign said in a press release.
The staff have demonstrated that they can work "shorter and smarter," according to Joe O'Connor, CEO of 4 Day Week Global.
"As we emerge from the pandemic, more and more companies are recognizing that the new frontier for competition is quality of life, and that reduced-hour, output-focused working is the vehicle to give them a competitive edge," he said in the statement.
Researchers will measure the impact the new working pattern will have on productivity levels, gender equality, the environment as well as worker well-being.