How dreamy would it be to work just four days a week? Well, that’s now a reality for employees at 100 companies in the UK that have permanently adopted the shorter working week – without any loss of pay.
The move comes after more than 70 companies signed up to a trial led by the 4 Day Week campaign which is advocating for fewer hours of work without a pay cut and without increased workloads on working days. These 70 are separate from the 100 firms that have now adopted the shorter week permanently. Two big companies that are included are Atom Bank and global marketing firm Awin, according to a spokesperson from the 4 Day Week campaign.
In September, around half-way through the six-month trial, 88 percent of companies that took part in the survey said it had gone well, while 95 percent said productivity had either improved or stayed the same.
Some of the companies that took part in the pilot scheme have been recognised by the 4 Day Week campaign as they have made genuine efforts to make sure employees are not loaded with extra work.
Employers that took part said the scheme has helped with employee satisfaction and retention. The effects of the scheme have also been monitored by researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, Boston College and think tank Autonomy.
Joe Ryle, campaign director of 4 Day Week UK, said this model of working could also appease workers who are unable to get a pay rise at work. He added: ‘With many businesses struggling to afford 10 percent inflation pay rises, we’re starting to see increasing evidence that a four-day week with no loss of pay is being offered as an alternative solution.’
Read more: here’s how three British workers have really found the four-day working week trial.