In the biggest four-day week pilot program in the world, as organizers of the scheme claim, more than 3,000 British workers at 70 companies are set to begin a four-day working week with no loss of pay in a six-month trial.
In exchange for a commitment to maintain at least 100% productivity, companies participating in the trial will pay staff the same wages for 80% of their hours and researchers will measure the effects on productivity and the well-being of each organization’s workers, and on the environment and gender equality.
According to Juliet Schor, professor of sociology at Boston College and lead researcher on the pilot, they’ll be analyzing 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 trial is organized by the 4 Day Week Global group in partnership with the 4 Day Week UK Campaign, the Autonomy think tank, and researchers at Cambridge and Oxford universities and Boston College.
Companies included in the trial provide a myriad of products and services ranging from education, banking, and financial services, housing and sustainable home care, automotive supply services, building recruitment services, digital marketing, etc.
Joe O’Connor, chief executive of 4 Day Week Global says that the UK is at the crest of a global momentum wave behind the four-day week.
O’Connor noted that as the world emerges from the pandemic, the companies are increasingly recognizing that quality of life is now the new frontier for competition, and the vehicle to give them a competitive edge is the reduced-hour, output-focused working.
He emphasized that the ‘great resignation’ following the pandemic has made them realize that workers from a diverse range of industries can produce better outcomes while working shorter and smarter.
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