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70 UK companies start biggest pilot of four-day work week in the world

By Hugh Fort in UK Business News, posted June 8, 2022

More than 3,300 workers in 70 UK companies have begun a four-day working week - with no loss of pay.

The pilot runs for six months and is based on the principle of 100:80:100 - 100 percent of the pay for 80 percent of the time in exchange for 100 percent of the productivity.

The businesses range from a fish and chip shop to large corporates, and the sectors range from education, banking, IT, and legal training.

Researchers from 4 Day Week Global will work with the companies involved to measure the impact on productivity and the wellbeing of its workers.

Government-backed four-day week trials are also set to begin later this year in Spain and Scotland.

Joe O'Connor, CEO of 4 Day Week Global, said: "The UK is at the crest of a wave of global momentum behind the four-day week.

"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.

"The impact of the 'great resignation' is now proving that workers from a diverse range of industries can produce better outcomes while working shorter and smarter."

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Juliet Schor, Professor of Sociology at Boston College, and lead researcher on the pilot, said: "I'm excited to be working on the research side for this historic trial.

"We'll be analyzing how employees respond to having an extra day off, in terms of stress and burnout, job and life satisfaction, health, sleep, energy use, travel and many other aspects of life.

Some of the businesses taking part are:

5 Squirrels
Adzooma
AKA Case Management
Allcap Limited
Amplitude
Bedrock Learning
Bookishly
Boom Studios
Charity Bank
Comcen
Eurowagens
Everledger
Evolution Money Limited
Future Talent Learning
Girling Jones
Happy
Helping Hands
Hutch
IE Brand
Literal Humans
Loud Mouth Media
Merthyr Valley Homes Limited
MOX
NeatClean

Outcomes Based Healthcare
Outcomes First Group
Platten's Fish and Chips
Pressure Drop Brewing
Rivelin Robotics
Royal Society of Biology
salamandra.uk
Scotland's International Development Alliance
Secure Digital Exchange Ltd
Sensat
Sounds Like These
Stellar Asset Management
Stemettes
The Story Mob
Timberlake Consultants Ltd / TLKE Ltd
Trio Media
Tyler Grange
Unity
Waterwise
We Are Purposeful
Yo Telecom

"Spending more time with my kids is the best thing about a four-day week. It's amazing."

General Manager Kirsty Wainwright of Plattens Fish and Chips in Wells-Next-The-Sea in Norfolk already works a four-day week and is confident the pilot rollout across the business for all staff will be a success.

She said: "The option of working a four-day week was the main reason for choosing to work here.

"The hospitality industry has really unsociable working hours and it needs to change. It's not surprising the industry has been struggling with recruitment given the excessively long working hours.

"On a five-day week I didn't get to see my kids enough. Spending more time with my kids is the best thing about a four-day week. It's amazing.

"Having that extra rest and not feeling exhausted means I can be more productive at work too."

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