Caution sounded over 4-day working week trials

Trials of a four-day working week in the UK launched this week, with several companies taking part in the six-month experiment.

Employees will work four days a week instead of the traditional five with no cut to their pay for the duration of the experiment, which aims to see look at the effect a 4-day week would have on productivity, staff wellbeing, environmental impact, and gender equality.

Similar trials are also being run across the US, Ireland, Spain, Scotland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, so this isn’t the first time these kinds of trials have taken place.

Microsoft’s Japanese offices trialled a four-day week with no loss of pay, resulting in a 40% increase in productivity. Similarly, Atom Bank made headlines at the end of last year when it introduced four-day, 34-hour working weeks for all staff last year.

However, there are a number of considerations for businesses to think about before they embark on this new way of working.

Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, said: “Whilst the notion of a four-day working week sounds great – and let’s not forget, it has been quite the success for companies who have trialed it thus far – there are still practical challenges which employers need to be prepared for. 

“Firstly, they must seek agreement from employees before making any changes to contractual terms and conditions. Whilst a reduction in working hours will likely be a popular decision, such an outcome cannot be assumed. This is particularly important where the reduction in days would impact daily working hours or salary.

“Once proposed changes have been consulted and accepted, it’s important to keep an eye on employee performance and morale. A reduction in working days has been criticised for not recognising the underlying causes of employee burnout and dissatisfaction, namely that their workloads can become overwhelming.

“Employees on 4-day weeks are often still expected to produce the same levels of work as they would in 5 days, so find themselves more stressed. They may feel forced to work overtime during evenings or weekends which, ultimately, can end up causing more problems than you started with.

“As the world of work evolves, it’s understandable that many employers might want to take this next step in implementing new working patterns, especially with job seekers placing higher priorities on flexibility when applying for roles.

“It is important for employers to understand these areas before implementing any changes, and of course, listen to feedback from employees, with open and honest discussion about any concerns.”