Thousands of UK workers to take part in four-day week trial
More than 3,000 workers at 60 companies across the UK are trialling a four-day working week, in what is thought to be the biggest pilot scheme to take place globally. Employees from a wide range of businesses and charities are expected to take part in the scheme, which will run initially from June to December, including the Royal Society of Biology, the London-based brewing company Pressure Drop, a Manchester-based medical devices firm, and a fish and chip shop in Norfolk.
The idea behind the trial is that companies adopt a shorter working week with no loss of pay, whilst aiming for higher productivity.
The pilot is being run by academics at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as Boston College in the US, in partnership with the campaign group 4 Day Week Global, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and the Autonomy thinktank. The participation of 3,000 workers means it is larger than a previous pilot in Iceland that included more than 2,500 workers.
The research comes after the COVID-19 pandemic led many people and companies to re-examine their working patterns, abandoning the traditional office-based 9-5 in favour of a marked rise in flexible and hybrid working practices. Allowing people flexibility over the hours they work, and where they work, is increasingly popular. By working flexibly, employees are better able to manage their caring responsibilities, or achieve a better work–life balance. Employers benefit by saving on office space and overheads. Flexible working also allows a better match between business resources and demand, such as serving customers on a 24/7 basis.
Joe O’Connor, the chief executive of 4 Day Week Global, said there was no way to “turn the clock back” to the pre-pandemic world. He said:
“Increasingly, managers and executives are embracing a new model of work which focuses on quality of outputs, not quantity of hours. Workers have emerged from the pandemic with different expectations around what constitutes a healthy life-work balance.”
Mark Downs, the chief executive of the Royal Society of Biology, said the decision to trial the four-day week was partly a response to an “incredibly competitive” labour market. He said:
“It’s about trying to do more to be a good, innovative employer to attract and retain our current staff. These sorts of possibilities make a massive difference. It’s great for everybody.”
The society’s 35 staff mostly work in King’s Cross, London, but some have moved to remote working during the pandemic. Employees were told about the trial last week and responses so far have been universally positive, Downs said. The society will remain open five days a week, but with workers generally split between Monday-to-Thursday and Tuesday-to-Friday shifts.
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