The UK’s first government trial of a four-day working week kicked off on Monday, allowing more than 1,000 employees to work fewer days without a pay cut.
The project is being led by the 4 Day Week Campaign, a non-profit organisation set up in 2022. The pilot will run until the summer and the results will be presented to the national government.
A total of 17 companies are taking part in the pilot, most of which will introduce a four-day week, although some are testing a reduced working week or a schedule where employees are given an extra day off every fortnight. Four more companies will soon join the project.
According to the 4 Day Week Campaign, almost 200 UK companies have already switched to a four-day week on a permanent basis.
The move to a four-day working week has been backed by some senior politicians, including UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. She had previously stated, “If you can manage tasks in four days, why not?” However, the Labour government has not yet officially endorsed the policy, perhaps fearing criticism from the Conservative opposition.
Nevertheless, in the UK, companies can implement the four-day schedule on their own, without the approval of the authorities.
Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said:
We don’t have to just imagine a four-day week anymore because it’s already a reality for hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of workers in the UK.
A similar experiment was recently carried out in 75 companies in Germany: employees there now don’t want to work on Fridays. The results showed that the shortened working week had a beneficial effect on employees’ mental wellbeing and physical health. Also, 70 per cent of employers noticed that hiring employees has become many times easier. Some of the businesses were able to maintain stable revenue and profit levels compared to when employees were working 5/2.
