
UK set to adopt four-day workweek with 200 firms onboard
Listen to article
In a landmark shift towards modernizing Britain's working culture, 200 companies across the UK have committed to a permanent four-day working week for all their employees, without any loss of pay.
This new milestone in the ongoing campaign to reinvent the UK's working week sees over 5,000 workers in various sectors, including charities, marketing, and technology firms, benefiting from the change.
The four-day workweek movement, spearheaded by the 4 Day Week Foundation, has garnered significant support as proponents argue that the traditional 9-to-5, five-day workweek is outdated.
Joe Ryle, the campaign director, highlighted that the five-day workweek, which dates back over a century, no longer serves today's economic needs. "We are long overdue an update," he said, adding that a shorter working week offers '50% more free time,' enabling employees to lead happier, more fulfilling lives.
A diverse range of industries has backed the move, with marketing, advertising, and public relations firms leading the charge—30 companies in this sector have adopted the policy.
Additionally, 29 organizations from the charity, NGO, and social care sectors, and 24 technology and IT firms have also signed on. In total, 59 London-based companies are driving the initiative, representing a growing trend in the capital.
Supporters argue that the shift to a four-day week benefits both employees and employers, improving employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention. The policy has already been embraced by firms as an effective way to attract top talent and optimize performance without extending work hours.
However, the shift to shorter workweeks highlights the growing divide over working patterns. While the UK embraces flexible work structures, many companies, especially in the US, have enforced a return to the office, with firms like JPMorgan Chase and Amazon demanding employees work five days a week in person.
Similarly, Lloyds Banking Group is reportedly assessing whether senior staff are meeting office attendance targets for annual bonuses.
Despite resistance from some quarters, support for a four-day workweek continues to grow among younger workers, with a survey by Spark Market Research revealing that 78% of 18-34-year-olds believe a four-day workweek will become the norm within five years.
Many in this age group also prioritize mental health and overall wellbeing, viewing a shorter working week as a key benefit for a better work-life balance.
The UK's evolving work culture has also caught the attention of senior political figures. Several Labour party members, including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, have voiced their support for the four-day week, though the party has not yet fully adopted the policy.
Some speculate this hesitance is due to concerns over the political ramifications if the policy were to be embraced too soon.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Recorder
14 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Palm falls on softer crude, rival oils and rising stocks
JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures declined for the second straight session on Wednesday to their lowest in more than two weeks, dragged by weaker rival edible oils, softening crude oil prices and rising May-end stocks. The benchmark palm oil contract for August delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange slid 28 ringgit, or 0.72%, to 3,836 ringgit ($905.36) a metric ton by the midday break. 'Slow growth in export demand amidst high stock levels may remain, pressuring prices and dampening market sentiment,' a Kuala Lumpur-based trader said. Malaysia's palm oil stocks jumped to their highest level in eight months in May as a surge in production and imports countered exports, which hit their highest in six months, data from the Malaysia Palm Oil Board (MPOB) showed. Cargo surveyors estimated exports of Malaysian palm oil products during June 1-10 to have risen between 8.1% and 26.4% month-on-month. European Union palm oil imports for the 2024-25 season that began in July dropped 19% to 2.69 million tons by June 8, the European Commission data showed. Demand for palm oil from India and China is expected to increase in the coming months as recent price corrections provide attractive entry points for the big buyers, an industry expert said. Dalian's most-active soyoil contract fell 0.82%, while its palm oil contract shed 2.13%. Soyoil on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) lost 0.21%. Malaysian palm oil range-bound ahead of MPOB data, export estimates Palm oil tracks the price movements of rival edible oils as it competes for a share of the global vegetable oils market. Oil prices softened in Asian trade on Wednesday as markets were assessing the outcome of the US-China trade talks, yet to be reviewed by the countries' presidents, with weak oil demand from China and OPEC+ production increases weighing on the market. Weaker crude oil futures make palm a less attractive option for biodiesel feedstock. The ringgit, palm's currency of trade, weakened 0.09% against the dollar, making the commodity slightly cheaper for buyers holding foreign currencies. Palm oil may test a resistance level of 3,889 ringgit per metric ton, a break above which could lead to a gain of up to 3,925 ringgit, Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao said.


Business Recorder
20 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Copper slips on uncertainty over trade talks, demand
LONDON: Copper prices lost ground on Tuesday as many investors shunned the market due to uncertainty about US-China trade talks and how the ongoing trade war between the world's two largest economies will hit economic growth and metals demand. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.3% at $9,767 per metric ton in official open-outcry trading, having recovered by 20% since hitting its lowest since November 2023 in April. 'We have a lot of market complacency right now. Volatility seems to be drifting lower across markets even though we have yet to see any breakthrough on trade talks with China,' said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen. Top US and Chinese officials will resume trade talks for a second day in London on Tuesday, hoping to secure a breakthrough over export controls for rare earths and other goods. More copper inventories departed from LME-registered warehouses as traders took advantage of higher US prices due to expectations that US President Donald Trump will impose tariffs on the metal, following duties levied on aluminium and steel. LME copper stocks eroded by another 2,000 tons to 120,400, data showed on Tuesday, having tumbled by half over the past three months. US Comex copper futures dropped 0.7% to $4.89 a lb, bringing the premium of Comex over the LME to $1,016 a ton. 'The appetite is failing somewhat, especially in the New York market, because the tariff announcement will be a binary event and some fireworks can probably not be avoided once you get that news out.' Traders are awaiting the outcome of an investigation Trump ordered in February on potential import tariffs on copper. In China, zinc on the Shanghai Futures Exchange softened for a third trading day, losing 1.3% to 21,845 yuan a ton, the lowest since late April. 'China's domestic demand has shown signs of weakening recently, and buyers have been procuring to meet their immediate needs at lower prices,' Shanghai-based commodity market research house SHMET said. Among other LME metals, aluminium eased 0.1% to $2,476 a metric ton, nickel ceded 0.9% to $15,280, zinc was little changed at $2,649, lead fell 0.2% to $1,982, while tin edged up 0.1% to $32,730.


Business Recorder
20 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Malaysian palm oil range-bound ahead of MPOB data, export estimates
JAKARTA/ KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures traded in a tight range on Tuesday, as traders awaited cargo surveyors' export estimates and the Malaysia Palm Oil Board's (MPOB) supply and demand data for further cues. The benchmark palm oil contract for August delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange lost 19 ringgit, or 0.48%, to 3,906 ringgit ($922.75) a metric ton by the midday break. The contract was traded between 3,900 ringgit and 3,947 ringgit per ton. 'Market remained rangebound with some profit taking ahead of MPOB data,' a Kuala Lumpur-based trader said. Malaysia's palm oil stocks at the end of May rose to 1.99 million tons in a third consecutive month increase despite surging exports, data from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) showed during the midday break. Dalian's most-active soyoil contract rose 0.13%, while its palm oil contract lost 0.17%. Soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade were up 0.8%. Palm oil tracks price movements of rival edible oils, as it competes for a share of the global vegetable oils market. Cargo surveyors are expected to release Malaysian palm oil export estimates for May 1-10 later in the day. Oil prices edged up as market participants waited for the outcome of US-China talks that could pave the way for easing trade tensions and improve fuel demand. Stronger crude oil futures make palm a more attractive option for biodiesel feedstock. The ringgit, palm's currency of trade, weakened 0.09% against the dollar, making the commodity slightly cheaper for buyers holding foreign currencies. Palm oil remains neutral in a widened range of 3,889 ringgit to 3,961 ringgit per metric ton, and an escape could suggest a direction, Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao said.