Four-day working week adopted by more than 200 UK companies
The companies range from marketing agencies, IT firms and consultancies to those in the charity sector, and collectively employ more than 5,000 people.
Joe Ryle, campaign director of the 4 Day Week Foundation, said the five-day working week was 'invented 100 years ago and is no longer fit for purpose'.
Instead, his organisation is pushing for a four-day week with the same pay and benefits as those working five out of every seven days.
With 50% more free time, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives
Joe Ryle, the 4 Day Week Foundation
He said: '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.'
'With 50% more free time, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives.'
The latest landmark signals growing popularity for less onerous working patterns at a time when large corporations are forcing their employees to return to the office full-time.
US investment bank JP Morgan and tech giant Amazon have demanded staff come back to the office every day despite having allowed hybrid working patterns for the last five years since the Covid-19 pandemic.
And former Asda and Marks & Spencer chief executive Lord Stuart Rose claimed earlier in January that remote working does not amount to 'proper work'.
The 4 Day Week Foundation's campaign, by contrast, aims to promote people's wellbeing over hours spent at work.
Marketing and press relations firms made up 30 of the companies adopting the policy, while charities, non-governmental organisations and social care companies accounted for 29.
They were followed by 24 in technology, IT and software, while 22 companies in the business, consulting and management sector have also offered four-day weeks to their workers.
A new poll by Spark Market Research suggested that 78% of 18 to 34-year-olds believe a four-day working week will become the norm within five years, while 65% said they do not want to see a return to full-time office working.
Spark managing director Lynsey Carolan said that '18 to 34 (year-olds), 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.
'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.'
It comes after South Cambridgeshire District Council brought in the four-day system for some staff.
The trial for desk-based staff was introduced at the start of 2023, before it was expanded to include people working in its waste collection service.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
36 minutes ago
- ITV News
Workers face uncertainty as Liberty Steel collapses into government control
One of the UK's biggest steelworks has been taken over by the government after it collapsed into administration, putting thousands of jobs at risk. Speciality Steel UK, previously part of Sanjeev Gupta's Liberty Steel business, employs 1,450 people at sites in Stocksbridge and Rotherham. On Wednesday, a specialist insolvency court heard the company was in millions of pounds worth of debt to creditors but only had £650,000 in its bank account. On Thursday, the courts granted a compulsory winding up order. The company will now be placed in the hands of the Official Receiver and special managers from consultancy firm Teneo. The government has agreed to cover the ongoing wages and costs of the plant while a buyer is found. A spokesperson said it remains committed to the future for steel making jobs. "We know this will be a deeply worrying time for staff and their families, but we remain committed to a bright and sustainable future for steelmaking and steel making jobs in the UK." However, bosses at Speciality Steel said the move to wind up the business is "irrational". Jeffrey Kabel, chief transformation officer said: "The decision to push Speciality Steel UK into compulsory liquidation, especially when we have support from the world's largest asset manager to resume operations and facilitate creditor recovery is irrational. "The plan that GFG (Sanjeev Gupta's parent business) presented to the courtwould have secured new investment in the UK steel industry, protecting jobs and establishing a sustainable operational platform under a new governance structure with independent oversight. "Instead, liquidation will now impose prolonged uncertainty and significant costs on UK taxpayers for settlements and related expenses, despite the availability of a commercial solution." Following the news, Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, GMB National Officer, said it is yet "another tragedy" for UK Steel. "This is another tragedy for UK steel - and the people of South Yorkshire - this time brought on by years of chronic mismanagement by the owners. But this represents an opportunity for the Government to take decisive action, as it did with British steel, to protect this vital UK industry." It comes after the government took over British Steel's Scunthorpe plant in Apri l to prevent the Chinese owner of the plant, Jingye, from closing blast furnaces at the site.
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Labour Party membership falls by almost 200,000 in five years
Figures published on Thursday showed the party had shed another 37,215 members over the course of 2024, around 10% of its total membership at the start of the year. The losses bring Labour's membership to 333,235 at the end of last year, well down on its recent peak of 532,046 at the end of 2019. But the party is still the largest in the UK, despite a surge in membership for Reform UK. Nigel Farage's party did not include a membership figure in its own accounts, published by the Electoral Commission on Thursday, but a ticker on Reform's website said it had 234,460 members. The Liberal Democrats suffered a slight fall in membership from 86,599 to 83,174 despite recording its best electoral results, while the Greens gained around 5,000 new members. The Conservative Party does not routinely publish its membership figures in its annual accounts, but did record an increase in income from membership fees of around £500,000. Some 131,680 people were eligible to vote in the Tory leadership election last year, 40,000 fewer than in the 2022 contest. Thursday's accounts also showed both main parties reporting deficits for the year after the most expensive general election in British history. Labour recorded a loss of £3.8 million after spending £94.5 million over the course of the year, while the Conservatives spent £52 million and lost £1.9 million. Smaller parties fared better. The Liberal Democrats and Reform UK recorded surpluses of £1.1 million and £1.5 million respectively, and the Greens enjoyed a £232,457 surplus. While most of the details were published by the Electoral Commission on Thursday, Labour's figures were published on the party's own website after it was late submitting its accounts to the watchdog. It is understood that unforeseen administrative delays were responsible for the late submission, while a party spokesman said they expected the Electoral Commission to publish the document 'imminently'. The Electoral Commission said Labour's 'failure to meet the submission deadline' would be 'considered in line with our enforcement policy'. Labour general secretary Hollie Ridley and treasurer Mike Payne said last year's loss reflected 'the need to respond at pace to shifting circumstances in the general election campaign'. It follows a loss of £851,000 in 2023 and comes despite incomes from donations more than doubling to £39.4 million. Meanwhile, the Conservatives' loss came as its income fell by more than £9 million, including a reduction in income from donations. Tory chairman Nigel Huddleston and treasurer Catherine Latham said the party would now make 'substantial investments in digital media infrastructure and staff and volunteer training' as it moved to create a 'more dynamic and nimbler organisation'. The Liberal Democrats reported £12.6 million in income for 2024, while Reform UK reported £10.8 million and the Greens £5.2 million.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Labour could sign £2bn contract with Israeli weapons firm
If the £2 billion ($2.69bn) deal goes ahead, it would see Elbit Systems train up to 60,000 British soldiers a year. Elbit Systems provides around 85% of Israel's drones and land-based military equipment. READ MORE: 'Widespread' use of AI generated reviews at Fringe Festival, performers claim The arms firm has played a major role in supplying Israel with weaponry for its genocide in Gaza, which has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians. The company's UK wing, Elbit Systems UK, is close to winning a major contract that would make it a "strategic partner" of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Elbit is reportedly bidding against Raytheon for the Army Collective Training Service contract, after the MoD reduced the bidders to two in February. If Elbit wins the contract, it will work with the MoD to transform military training "through digitalisation, simulation, a different relationship with industry, and by changing how and where the military trains". The National understands that the competition for the award is still ongoing and no agreement has yet been reached. The potential deal was first revealed by Private Eye this week, and was subsequently reported by Middle East Eye. Elbit Systems was one of the major targets for Palestine Action group, before it was proscribed as a terror organisation on July 5. On July 1, activists blocked the entrance to the firm's factory in Bristol, in England, where they covered the building in red paint to 'symbolise Palestinian bloodshed'. Activists in Scotland have also targeted Elbit Systems. In May, two companies linked to the weapons manufacturer - Allianz and BNY Mellon - were sprayed with red paint by Palestine Action. Since the proscription order came into effect, membership of or support for the direct action group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. In July, a report by Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur for Palestine, said that "for Israeli companies such as Elbit Systems ... the ongoing genocide has been a profitable venture". READ MORE: Duolingo apologises after German training app calls JK Rowling 'cruel' Since 2023, Elbit's UK arm has run the MoD's Project Vulcan, a £57m contract of simulation-based training for tank crews. If the new deal goes through, it would mark a significant step up in the company's relationship with the MoD. It comes as pressure is growing on the UK Government to announce a full arms embargo on Israel. In September last year, the Labour Government suspended 30 out of around 350 arms export licences to Israel. However, licences for parts for F-35 fighter jets, which are directly used in Gaza, were among those exempt from the embargo. Calls for a full arms embargo on Israel have continued to grow, with the UK Government insisting it is not sending weapons directly to Israel. Instead, the parts are sent to the F-35 "programme", an international defence programme which produces and maintains the fighter jets, with the UK contributing components for both assembly lines and an international pool. While Israel is not one of the "partner nations" of the programme, it is a customer. Private Eye said it had asked the MoD if it would be appropriate to "give a company so involved in the Gaza war such a major contract". However, the magazine added that the MoD did not respond. An MoD spokesperson told The National: 'Like many European allies, the UK sources defence components from a range of international suppliers based on operational requirements, value for money, and compliance with our security and legal obligations, with all suppliers subject to rigorous due diligence. 'The competition for the Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) remains ongoing.'
