Latest news with #4DayWeekFoundation
The Guardian
25-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Campaigners targeting dozens of UK councils in push for four-day week
Dozens of councils have been targeted by campaigners calling for a four-day week after it that emerged one local authority had become Britain's first to vote to adopt the pattern permanently. The move comes shortly after thousands of private-sector workers were also told they would be staying on shorter working weeks with the same pay after more than 200 businesses decided it worked for them – in some cases, after lengthy trials. 'As hundreds of British companies in the private sector have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both businesses and workers,' said Joe Ryle, the campaign director of the 4 Day Week Foundation. Ryle spoke after it was confirmed that South Cambridgeshire district council had voted to become the first local authority in the UK to permanently adopt the four-day week. The Liberal Democrats-led council said independent analysis had shown 'most services got better or were maintained, with significant improvements to recruitment and retention'. Now, the campaigners have said they have compiled a target-list of at least 24 more councils, in the hope of setting off a wave of new announcements. They said they believed as many as six councils were close to taking the step in the near future. The move towards more modern working practices has been gaining momentum recently. In February 2023, more than 50 companies opted to continue with the new working pattern after conducting the world's largest trial of a four-day week up to that point. Campaigners hailed it as an indication that the working pattern could be adopted in the wider economy. In January this year, it was announced that more than 200 firms – across many sectors – had also adopted a four-day week. And this month, all 17 private businesses that undertook six-month trials organised by the 4 Day Week Foundation agreed to implement either a four-day or a nine-day fortnight pattern permanently – with all employees remaining on their full salaries. About a fortnight later, South Cambridgeshire said it had become the first local authority to follow suit. Staff had been trialling doing 100% of their work in about 80% of their hours since January 2023. The council said the independent analysis from the universities of Salford, Bradford and Cambridge showed 21 of 24 services had 'improved or stayed the same', while job applications had increased by more than 120%. It added that the number of workers leaving fell by more than 40% and the council saved nearly £400,000 on its agency staffing costs. On Friday, it was announced the local authority had also voted to allow staff it shares with the neighbouring and Labour-run Cambridge city council to work a four-day week for full pay. The BBC quoted Cameron Holloway, the leader of the latter, as saying he 'applauded' the 'innovative and effective approach' to the recruitment problems both councils faced. Ryle said: 'The extremely positive results from the first council trial should be the catalyst for more councils across the country to modernise and transform their ways of working by adopting a four-day week. The five-day working week was invented 100 years ago and no longer suits the realities of modern life. We are long overdue an update.' It has been reported that councils in Edinburgh, Fermanagh and Omagh are exploring the possibility of taking part. Three more councils were said to be even further down the line, though the 4 Day Week Foundation kept their names private. Councils in Belfast, Bristol and Glasgow have also reportedly been exploring the idea. The campaigners said 16 more local authorities were on a list of targets that had been in touch with them – though their names were also kept private.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Better Bottom Lines And Increased Employee Motivation: Why Some Are Calling The 4-Day Work Week 'A Great Thing For Businesses To Try'
Transitioning to a four-day work week may be advantageous for employers as well as employees, a new study done in the UK by the 4 Day Week Foundation and Boston College finds. The foundation, which advocates for shorter working hours, just released the findings of its latest national pilot program. Seventeen companies and over 950 employees took part in the six-month program, which cut the work week from 40 hours down to just 32 hours. As you might have expected, the benefits of the change for employees were primarily positive. Almost half (47%) reported increased job satisfaction, while 62% said they experienced a reduction in burnout. Additionally, 45% of employees reported feeling more satisfied with life following the change, largely because they were experiencing better work-life balance. Don't Miss: Many are using retirement income calculators to check if they're on pace — Named a TIME Best Invention and Backed by 5,000+ Users, Kara's Air-to-Water Pod Cuts Plastic and Costs — What might shock you, however, is that several of the companies that participated in the program also reported that things improved for their businesses after they cut working hours. Several organizations reported a decrease in the number of resignations over the course of the trial, when compared with a similar six-month period. Others said that they experienced a 30% drop in the number of sick and personal days taken over the course of the trial, when compared to the same six months the year before. BrandPipe, a London-based software company, had some of the most significant results. The company dropped working hours for its employees from 35 to 28, and reported a 129.5% increase in revenue as well as a 100% reduction in the number of personal days taken by its employees. Trending: $100k+ in investable assets? – no cost, no obligation. "The trial's been an overwhelming success for BrandPipe because it has been the launchpad for us to consider what constitutes efficiency, progressive working practice, and the ability to focus on the things that really matter to our business and our customers," BrandPipe CEO Geoff Slaughter told researchers. Slaughter was so enthusiastic about the results of the trial and the positive effects it had on the company that he encouraged other tech leaders to be open-minded about reducing their office hours. "[It's] a great thing for businesses to try," he told researchers. "The learnings that come out of it are kind of adjacent to the fact that you've reduced working hours." Not everyone is as optimistic about the potential of four-day work weeks. King's College London public policy professor Michael Sanders told CNN that trials like the one run by the 4 Day Week Foundation are self-selected and therefore conducted in companies where the change "would be taken up enthusiastically." A shorter work week may work for them, but it "doesn't tell us much about what would happen if someone else tried it," he said. Read Next: This AI-Powered Trading Platform Has 5,000+ Users, 27 Pending Patents, and a $43.97M Valuation — Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Better Bottom Lines And Increased Employee Motivation: Why Some Are Calling The 4-Day Work Week 'A Great Thing For Businesses To Try' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
People who work four days a week are actually getting more done, experts say
You're probably reading this at the start of your weekend. But now imagine that weekend had started a day earlier... and did so every week. Sound good? That could be the new reality many companies, and employees, face in the future, after the four-day business week took another step towards implementation in the UK. This year, 17 businesses of different types have been trialling the move, organised by the 4 Day Week Foundation. Almost 1,000 different employees were involved, all retaining their normal salary - and after the culmination of that study, all 17 companies have opted to keep going, following an earlier trial which saw 5,000 people adopt the scheme permanently. Not all are doing straight four-day weeks. Some were trialling nine-day fortnights. And there are clearly some industries which would face challenges to alter schedules and regulations. But the initial results for those taking part appeared positive, with nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of employees saying they noted a 'reduction in how often they experienced burnout'. Firms who took part in the trial have cited customer satisfaction and employee performance as reasons for continuing, with one expecting mass adoption across the next decade. Vicky Walker, chief people officer at Westfield Health, told The Independent that less work has shown to mean more output. 'Studies have shown that a shorter work week can lead to enhanced efficiency and focus among employees. People may be more motivated to complete their tasks and increase productivity. There's now a growing recognition for flexibility and work-life balance and this trial is a step in the right direction,' Ms Walker said. 'These flexible benefits can also help attract new talent and improve employee retention rates, which for some businesses, is a key business target.' There is, however, much more to consider for employers and the wider economy, before we see it adopted on a larger scale. 'Ultimately, what matters for the economy is hours worked multiplied by productivity per hour. If people are simply working their weekly hours in four days rather than five, then there should be little economic impact. If they are working harder - fewer hours for the same output - then we could see an uptick in productivity, but that wouldn't necessarily translate into growth because of fewer hours,' Thomas Pugh, chief economist at RSM UK, told The Independent. This is essentially the French model of the system, Mr Pugh explained - but success in it will naturally lead to businesses asking one pertinent question: 'If you can be as productive in four days as in five, then why not be as productive over the full five days?' There also remain questions over the potential for staggered days off - 'Do people want Wednesdays off, for example?' - and of course whether a firm's opening hours would still match up to those of their clients. It's not a 'solution to the UK's economic problems', Mr Pugh added. Andrew Timpson, a tax partner at RSM, pointed out there would be implications if reduced hours meant reduced pay - and not just for the Treasury. 'If base pay is reduced, there could be an impact on salary sacrifice and pensions,' he said, 'plus if employees are earning less then the tax take will reduce. Some employees may also find themselves slipping under thresholds which will change the personal allowance, or other aspects such as child benefit.' The discussion outside of finance has also taken centre stage. A study by BHN Extras recently concluded over a third of UK workers (34 per cent) said they would accept a pay cut for a shorter commute and only 23 per cent enjoyed their commute. The survey suggested both the cost and the sentiment was stronger in London, but would knocking a day off the commute into work be a big draw for all? It won't be one for everybody, nor every business. Implementation costs and rescheduling alone may make it prohibitive, while there's no doubt that some management may not appreciate the thought of it, let alone the reality. But just like working from home, hot-desking and zero-hours contracts before it, the four-day week looks set to play some part in the future of UK business - and like all those others, divide plenty of opinion on the way. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
The Independent
05-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
People who work four days a week are actually getting more done, experts say
You're probably reading this at the start of your weekend. But now imagine that weekend had started a day earlier... and did so every week. Sound good? That could be the new reality many companies, and employees, face in the future, after the four-day business week took another step towards implementation in the UK. This year, 17 businesses of different types have been trialling the move, organised by the 4 Day Week Foundation. Almost 1,000 different employees were involved, all retaining their normal salary - and after the culmination of that study, all 17 companies have opted to keep going, following an earlier trial which saw 5,000 people adopt the scheme permanently. Not all are doing straight four-day weeks. Some were trialling nine-day fortnights. And there are clearly some industries which would face challenges to alter schedules and regulations. But the initial results for those taking part appeared positive, with nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of employees saying they noted a 'reduction in how often they experienced burnout'. Firms who took part in the trial have cited customer satisfaction and employee performance as reasons for continuing, with one expecting mass adoption across the next decade. Vicky Walker, chief people officer at Westfield Health, told The Independent that less work has shown to mean more output. 'Studies have shown that a shorter work week can lead to enhanced efficiency and focus among employees. People may be more motivated to complete their tasks and increase productivity. There's now a growing recognition for flexibility and work-life balance and this trial is a step in the right direction,' Ms Walker said. 'These flexible benefits can also help attract new talent and improve employee retention rates, which for some businesses, is a key business target.' There is, however, much more to consider for employers and the wider economy, before we see it adopted on a larger scale. 'Ultimately, what matters for the economy is hours worked multiplied by productivity per hour. If people are simply working their weekly hours in four days rather than five, then there should be little economic impact. If they are working harder - fewer hours for the same output - then we could see an uptick in productivity, but that wouldn't necessarily translate into growth because of fewer hours,' Thomas Pugh, chief economist at RSM UK, told The Independent. This is essentially the French model of the system, Mr Pugh explained - but success in it will naturally lead to businesses asking one pertinent question: 'If you can be as productive in four days as in five, then why not be as productive over the full five days?' There also remain questions over the potential for staggered days off - 'Do people want Wednesdays off, for example?' - and of course whether a firm's opening hours would still match up to those of their clients. It's not a 'solution to the UK's economic problems', Mr Pugh added. Andrew Timpson, a tax partner at RSM, pointed out there would be implications if reduced hours meant reduced pay - and not just for the Treasury. 'If base pay is reduced, there could be an impact on salary sacrifice and pensions,' he said, 'plus if employees are earning less then the tax take will reduce. Some employees may also find themselves slipping under thresholds which will change the personal allowance, or other aspects such as child benefit.' The discussion outside of finance has also taken centre stage. A study by BHN Extras recently concluded over a third of UK workers (34 per cent) said they would accept a pay cut for a shorter commute and only 23 per cent enjoyed their commute. The survey suggested both the cost and the sentiment was stronger in London, but would knocking a day off the commute into work be a big draw for all? It won't be one for everybody, nor every business. Implementation costs and rescheduling alone may make it prohibitive, while there's no doubt that some management may not appreciate the thought of it, let alone the reality. But just like working from home, hot-desking and zero-hours contracts before it, the four-day week looks set to play some part in the future of UK business - and like all those others, divide plenty of opinion on the way.
Wales Online
03-07-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
4-day working week brought in at Welsh company employing hundreds of staff
4-day working week brought in at Welsh company employing hundreds of staff It's one of 17 companies which took part in a national trial to test a four-day working week with no increase in hours or reduction in pay Bron Afon in Cwmbran has successfully completed a four-day working week trial (Image: Google Maps ) A Welsh company has confirmed its plans to continue with a four-day working week, following the success of a national trial. Housing association, Bron Afon, was one of 17 companies to take part in a six-month pilot, which concluded with all participants opting to extend the shorter working week. The trial, which began in November, 2024, was organised by the 4 Day Week Foundation and involved nearly 1,000 workers across a range of industries. The aim was to test whether reducing the traditional working week from five days to four would impact productivity and employee wellbeing. Bron Afon, which boasts a workforce of around 400, claimed the results had been overwhelmingly positive. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here The Cwmbran-based organisation shared that it had been able to maintain its performance and customer satisfaction, while also seeing significant benefits for its employees. Alan Brunt, chief executive of Bron Afon Community Housing, said: "Almost as soon as we started talking about it, our teams got together to set about making it work which was brilliant. Article continues below "We've closely monitored our performance and customer satisfaction. We're happy with the results so far and will continue to make sure we're delivering for our customers." Nearly two-thirds of workers across all companies involved in the trial reported a reduction in burnout, with 40% saying they had seen improvements in their mental health, while almost half said they felt more satisfied with life overall. Following the 100% success rate, director of 4 Day Week Foundation, Joe Ryle, commented: "With greater knowledge, expertise and experience of what it takes to successfully implement a four-day week, we're really pleased to see such a high success rate. "People are happier, businesses are thriving, and there's no turning back. "We've proved it again and again: a four-day week works and should now be implemented more widely across the economy." Having seen the benefits first hand, Bron Afon is now committed to continuing with the four-day week, with Mr Brunt adding: "I expect that most organisations will be doing this in the next 10 years or so." The campaign's success closely aligns with the results found by a group appointed by the Welsh Government last year. The group, established under the Workforce Partnership Council (WPC), spent a year studying the pros and cons of a four-day working week. The project revealed five major benefits, including: Improved work-life balance: Shorter work hours with no pay-cut help workers better balance work and personal life. Better health: Reduced hours help prevent burnout, lower stress and improve physical and mental wellbeing. Attraction and retention: Boosts recruitment and retention by offering distinctive benefit and effective pay increase (for fewer hours worked). Greater inclusivity: Supports workers with caring responsibilities, fostering a more inclusive workspace. Increased productivity and organisational performance: Due to increased feelings of wellbeing, those who are feeling well rested and happier tend to produce work more efficiently and of higher quality. Article continues below
