More than 1,000 employees join latest four-day working week trial

A new six-month experiment involving 17 UK companies and more than 1,000 employees has launched this week to test whether a shorter working week can enhance productivity.

The initiative marks the second phase of the 4 Day Week Campaign, with the latest participants including the Hackney-based Crate brewery and the British Society for Immunology (BSI).

Under the plans, employees work four days per week but retain their full salaries.

This follows a successful trial in 2022, where 56 out of 61 participating businesses opted to adopt the reduced hours on a permanent basis.

Businesses said the trial resulted in an improved work-life balance, reduced stress, and no significant decline in performance.

As the new trial begins, the 4 Day Week Campaign will gather comprehensive data on employee morale, productivity levels, and burnout rates.

The findings will be submitted to the government next summer, with backing from researchers at Cambridge University, the Autonomy Institute, and Boston College in Massachusetts.

The previous Conservative government criticised the changes describing the four-day working week as “part-time work for full-time pay”.

But the Labour Party has been more receptive to the concept, with deputy prime minister Angela Rayner emphasising flexible working arrangements pose no threat to economic stability.

The government did however confirm back in August it would not make the arrangement compulsory, with a spokesperson from the Department for Business and Trade spokesperson saying: “We have no plans to impose a four-day working week on employers or employees.”

Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said: “With 50 per cent more free time and no loss in pay, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives.”

Georgia Pearson, people manager at Crate Brewery, is also enthusiastic about participating in the trial, describing it as “groundbreaking” for the hospitality sector.

She said: “Although we’ve never struggled with retention, we recognise the competitive advantage that comes with being ahead of the curve.”

She believes embracing this shift gives the company a competitive edge, enhancing employee satisfaction and retention.

Doug Brown, chief executive of the BSI, echoed this sentiment claiming adopting a four-day week will improve staff work-life balance - making the organisation a more appealing employer. However, he stressed the importance of maintaining high-quality service during this transition.

Currently, around 200 UK businesses have been accredited by the 4 Day Week Campaign for permanently adopting this model.

Some 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, according to research by Survation.

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.