More than 3,300 workers at over 70 UK companies will begin a four-day week trial with no loss of pay this week in a move which is claimed to be the biggest ever such pilot to take place anywhere on the planet.
The trail, which will run for six months, is based on the principle of the 100:80:100 model, which means 100% of the pay for 80% of the time, in exchange for a commitment to maintaining at least 100% productivity.
The programme has been organised by 4 Day Week Global, along with think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign, and researchers from Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Boston College. Companies taking part come from a range of sectors and include small businesses and large corporations.
They include sectors like banking, financial services, IT software training, automotive supply services, online retail, telcos, digital marketing, and food and beverage, although major global brands appear thin on the ground.
Researchers will work with each participating organisation to measure the impact on productivity in the business and the wellbeing of its workers, as well as the impact on the environment and gender equality.
4 Day Week Global chief executive Joe O’Connor said: “As we emerge from the pandemic, more and more companies are recognising that the new frontier for competition is quality of life, and that reduced-hour, output-focused working is the vehicle to give them a competitive edge.
“The impact of the ‘great resignation’ is now proving that workers from a diverse range of industries can produce better outcomes while working shorter and smarter.”
Boston College professor of sociology Juliet Schor, who is lead researcher of the trials, said: “We’ll be analysing how employees respond to having an extra day off, in terms of stress and burnout, job and life satisfaction, health, sleep, energy use, travel and many other aspects of life.
The four-day week is generally considered to be a triple dividend policy – helping employees, companies, and the climate. Our research efforts will be digging into all of this.”
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