According to the 4 Day Week Foundation, 200 UK companies have signed up for permanent four-day work weeks.
The campaign group began its Second Research Pilot for a four-day work week in November. It said that the companies who have agreed to run a shorter working week without any pay loss employ more than 5, 000 people.
Joe Ryle, campaign director for the foundation, stated that “the nine-to-five-day, five-day work week was invented over 100 years ago, and is no longer suitable for purpose.” “We are overdue for an update.”
He said that a four-day work week would give people “50% more time to enjoy a happier and more fulfilling life”.
The 4 Day Week Foundation reported that 30 employers signed up. The 4 Day Week Foundation said that 30 employers were in the charity, social care and NGOs sector, while 24 employers were in technology, software, and IT.
According to the latest campaign update, London employers were the most likely, accounting for 59 out of a total of 158, to have committed themselves to a 4-day work week.
In the latest trial, 17 employers will choose between a four-day work week and a nine day fortnight. In its first trial in 2022, more than half the participants were still working with the arrangement 18 months later.
Academics from the University of Cambridge and Boston College, as well as the Autonomy Institute will be reporting on the challenges and benefits reported by employers.
The companies that participated in the first trial discovered that a four day week improved recruitment and productivity, reduced staff turnover, and decreased employee turnover.
A recent report on the South Cambridgeshire District Council’s arrangement found that 1 in 6 employees who work a 4-day week have a second job.
Employees have the right to request flexible working arrangements since April 2024. This includes changes to their work hours and days.
The notion that the new Labour Government would “impose” four-day workweeks on businesses has been proven false.
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