Latest four-day working week trial begins in the UK

Run by the 4 Day Week Campaign and flexible working consultancy Timewise, the study follows a pilot trial programme in 2022, which resulted in 56 of the 61 participating companies adopting a shorter working week on a permanent basis.

Organisations to have joined the latest trial include the British Society for Immunology, consultancy firm Operational Research in Health, law firm Rook Irwin Sweeney and brewing business Crate Brewery.

The research will involve around 1,000 workers across the 17 organisations, and trials will consist of either a four-day week or a nine-day fortnight, with the majority trialling the four-day model. Another four companies will begin trials later next year.

The University of Cambridge, Boston College and The Autonomy Institute are providing research support, with the results set to be presented to the government next summer.

Participating organisations must ensure there is no loss of pay for workers working a shorter week.

Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said: “We don't have to just imagine a four-day week anymore – because it’s already a reality for hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of workers in the UK.

“With 50% more free time and no loss in pay, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives.”

Recent research by The Autonomy Institute to analyse the results of an employment market survey in Iceland has found that 59% of workers bad been offered reduced working hours in the two years prior to being surveyed, and of these 62% report being more satisfied with their working time.

The analysis also found that 42% of those who had moved to shorter hours in the last two years thought that it had decreased stress in their private life, compared with 6% who felt it had increased.

Claire Campbell, chief executive, Timewise, said: “It’s great to see a wide range of employers participating in this latest trial. Many have frontline staff, and the pilots provide an opportunity to think creatively about how to deliver a five or seven day service whilst offering staff a four-day week.  

“We look forward to sharing the results next year, adding to the body of evidence that supporting people with choices about their working lives makes business sense.”