不知道大家还记不记得英国从去年6月开始进行了一场史上规模最大的四天工作制试行计划？

英国当地61家公司的逾2900名员工，在保留原有工资的前提下减少工时，每周只上四天半。来自剑桥大学、牛津大学以及波士顿学院的研究员，则负责观察评估工作周缩短后对生产率和生活素质的影响。


如今半年过去了，这项研究终于公布了最终结果：

√ 56家公司（占92%）选择不恢复五天工作制，继续试行四天制；
√ 18家（三分之一）永久改为四天工作制；
√ 3家企业决定暂停试行计划；
√ 2家仍在考虑是否要缩短工作天。
In the second half of last year, 61 businesses in Britain offered their employees a four-day work week as part of a pilot program. Researchers found that employers and employees noticed benefits.
去年下半年，英国有61家企业参与一项实验研究，允许员工每周工作四天。研究人员发现，雇主和雇员都有积极的改变。

Fifty-six of the companies, or 92 percent, said they would continue with a four-day week, according to the new report, and 18 confirmed that the change would be permanent.
根据新的报告，其中92%，即56家公司表示他们将继续实行四天工作制，18家公司确认将永久实行这一政策。


The study also found that companies’ revenue stayed broadly the same on average over the trial period — and that attrition among employees dropped significantly. In a survey about halfway through the study, most of the companies reported no loss of productivity during the trial.
研究还发现，公司的收入在试验期间大致保持不变——而且员工的流失率明显下降。在研究进行到一半时，大多数公司报告说在试验期间没有生产力损失。

“Taken as a whole, results from the U.K. trial therefore make clear that the four-day week is ready to take the next step from experimentation to implementation,” the report concluded.
“因此，从整体上看，英国的试验结果清楚地表明，四天工作制已经准备好迈出从试验到实施的下一步，”该报告总结说。

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尝过甜头的2900名参与者中，无人想放弃四天工作制；其中15%的人甚至说，给他们再多钱，也不能让他们回到五天工作制。

Some 3,300 workers from banks, marketing, health care, financial services, retail, hospitality and other industries participated in the pilot program.
来自银行、市场营销、医疗保健、金融服务、零售、酒店和其他行业的约3300名从业人员参加了试点项目。

Their responses were overwhelmingly positive: 90 percent of those employees said they definitely wanted to continue with a four-day week. None said they definitely did not want to. And 15 percent said no amount of money would motivate them to accept a five-day schedule at their next job.
他们对这项举措赞不绝口：90%的员工说他们想继续实行四天工作制。没有人表示自己肯定不愿意。15%的人说，下一份工作无论给多少钱，都不会想再工作五天。


The effects that workers reported on their well-being were striking: The study found that levels of anxiety, fatigue and sleep issues decreased, while mental and physical health improved. About 70 percent of employees said they had reduced levels of burnout by the end of the trial.
从报告来看，四周工作制对上班族的影响是惊人的。研究发现，他们的焦虑、疲劳和睡眠问题都有所缓解，而身心健康得到改善。大约70%的员工说他们在试验结束时感觉不那么疲惫了。


看到这里是不是突然振奋了起来！做四休三，这是哪里来的好事。其实很早之前，就已经有人在设想四天工作制了。

For decades, politicians and other leaders have talked about the possibility of a four-day week.Vice President Richard M. Nixon predicted it in the 1950s.  
几十年来，政治家和其他领导人一直在讨论每周工作四天的可能性。20世纪50年代，时任美国副总统的理查德·尼克松就预测到了这一点。

In the 1970s, Douglas Fraser, the president of the United Auto Workers, said a shorter week was “absolutely inevitable.”  But for various reasons — including inertia — the idea never took hold.
20世纪70年代，美国汽车工人联合会的道格拉斯·弗雷泽说，缩短每周工作时间是“绝对不可避免的”。但是由于各种各样的原因——包括惯性——这个想法从未得到认可。

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英国当然不是唯一一个试验四天工作制的国家。

自从2021年起，一家名为4 Day Week Global的非营利性组织就开始在西班牙、爱尔兰、美国、澳大利亚等地区进行试点。


不过，不少人对“四天工作制”还是持有怀疑态度，认为少工作一天，就是每天的工作量增加，而且失去了时间安排的灵活性。

还有一些诸如零售、餐饮、医疗和教育等领域，很难实行四天工作制。

However, recent evidence showed plenty in the UK actually want to work more hours. Many see that as a lifeline to boost their earnings in the cost-of-living crisis, according to the  Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a body for HR professionals.
然而，最近的证据显示，许多英国人实际上希望工作更长时间。人力资源专业人士组织英国特许人事与发展协会表示，许多人将这视为在目前生活成本上涨危机中增加收入的救命稻草。