Four-day working week study finds greater employee motivation, team morale

ICE Group, recruitment experts and advocates of the 4-day working week, has unveiled findings of its fifth birthday benchmark study which illustrates employee’s greater enjoyment of work and better company morale.

The key findings from the ICE Group’s staff survey are increased employee motivation at work, greater energy levels, improved team morale and enhanced personal wellbeing. Additionally, the ICE Group found greater profitability since initiating the ‘3-Day Weekend’. Over 80 employees were canvassed their opinion for this biannual study.

A popular response from the survey was that many found it an ideal time to spend quality time with loved ones and family, while others took advantage of the extra day off for relaxation, personal projects or creative endeavours such as gardening, learning a new hobby and travelling, etc.

Margaret Cox, director of recruitment firm ICE Group, also celebrated the fifth birthday of their bestselling book ‘The 3-Day Weekend’.

ICE Group was the first Irish company to adopt the policies and procedures of deploying a four-day week initiative.

Commenting on the findings of the survey, Ms Cox said: “We have seen a 27 per cent increase in our productivity levels since implementing the four-day week. Many of our clients have taken up the initiative and report a positive increase in employee activity at work."

Ms Cox added: “The results of the ICE Group survey speaks for itself. Our employees found themselves more relaxed in the office, they dealt with problems efficiently, a greater boost in their self-confidence and a greater sense of motivation both in work and at home. The company survey concludes that clear communication, good planning, and team collaboration are essential for the success of a 4-day working week. The final survey question asks, would you recommend other companies to implement the 4-day week? 100 per cent of employees said, YES!”.

The ICE Group study illustrates outstanding evidence that the 4-day week has had on employee wellbeing in the organisation. Since introducing the 4-day week, more than 20 per cent of employees have been dealing with problems in a better and more successful manner. There has been a marked increase from 54 per cent in 2019 to 75 per cent in 2024.

ICE Group is a leading provider of a wide range of training, recruitment, HR and consultancy services to clients across the world. As a family business that holds employee wellness as a core value, they are the pioneer of the four-day work week and continually strive to progress business operations throughout Ireland.