Two hundred UK companies sign up for permanent four-day working week

Two hundred companies in the UK have permanently adopted a four-day working week with no loss of pay for staff.

According to the most recent 4 Day Week Foundation update, the companies collectively employ more than 5,000 people, with nonprofits, marketing, and technology firms among the best-represented.

A significant number of companies in sectors including Creative Arts & Design (18), Engineering & Manufacturing (12), Recruitment & HR (12), Entertainment (9), Accountancy, Banking & Finance (8) and Property Development, Trades & Construction (6) have also recently been accredited by the foundation.

Joe Ryle, Campaign Director of the 4 Day Week Foundation, said the nine-to-five, five-day work week was “no longer fit for purpose.”

“With 50 per cent more free time, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives,” he said.

London-based companies made up 59 of the 200 participating firms, followed by 27 in South East England, 25 in Scotland, 24 in South West England and 15 in North West England.

A survey last summer revealed approximately six per cent of full-time workers in the UK are already working four-day weeks, suggesting up to 1.5 million employees could now be benefiting from this new approach to work.

According to a survey by Survation, 58 per cent of the public say taking a three-day weekend will be “the normal way of working” by 2030 – with only 22 per cent believing it won’t.

At South Cambridgeshire District Council – the first local authority in the UK to trial a four-day week – over 600 staff are working a four-day week.

“As hundreds of British companies and one local council have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers,” Mr Ryle said.

The 4 Day Week Foundation said it plans to plans to run at least three new four-day week pilots in 2025.

But the cultural shift is not without controversy. The Conservatives warn that it will negatively impact businesses and hit economic growth.

Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory shadow business secretary, said late last year large-scale moves to a four-day week would make doing business more expensive in the UK.

Under current laws, workers have the right to request flexible working, but employers aren’t legally obliged to agree.

Government ministers have previously insisted they have “no plans” to force businesses to accept a four-day working week.

A study by Spark Market Research found younger workers are the most likely to be against traditional working patterns. About 78 per cent of 18-34-year-olds in the UK believe a four-day working week will become widespread in five years, while 65 per cent said they do not want to see a return to full-time office working.

Lynsey Carolan, Managing Director of Spark Market Research, said: “Our survey clearly shows a desire for change in traditional working patterns. 18-34’s, the core workforce of the next 50 years, are making their feelings known that they don’t intend to go back to old fashioned working patterns when there’s other options now available.

“This group also say that mental health and improving their overall wellbeing are their top priorities, so a four-day week is a really meaningful benefit and a key enabler of their overall quality of life.”