Over 100 UK companies switch to 4-day work week with no pay cuts

By Team Newsable | First Published Nov 29, 2022, 4:05 PM IST

Up to 100 businesses in the UK have agreed to give their staff a permanent four-day workweek without reducing their compensation. A four-day work week is pretty much how it sounds – staff would work for four days and get a three-day weekend.

As many as 100 companies in the UK have signed up for permanent four-day working week for their employees and that too without any pay cut. One would assume that in order to make up for a day's work missed throughout the week, the present working hours would increase. However, proponents of the change claim that it would force businesses to increase productivity, effectively allowing them to do the same amount of work in fewer hours—even fewer than the typical shifts of 8–9 hours.

These 100 companies employ 2,600 staff, which is a tiny fraction of the UK’s working population. However, the move is being seen as the vanguard of a major shift in the times to come. Awin, a multinational marketing corporation, and Atom Bank are two of the largest businesses to have committed to the strategy. Each company in the UK employs roughly 450 people.

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The 4 Day Week Campaign recognised them because the businesses showed that they had actually cut back on working hours rather than making their employees put in more hours. The policy has also proven to be an effective strategy for some early adopters to draw and keep staff since it allows them more personal time and breaks from the monotonous daily grind.

Supporters of the four-day workweek claim that it is one of the most revolutionary initiatives that is focused on the wellbeing of the employees, and they refer to the five-day workweek as a holdover from a previous economic era.

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A four-day workweek is said to assist employees achieve a better work-life balance and lead "happier and more fulfilling lives." It frees up more time for activities that are often ignored, such rest, time spent with friends and family, hobbies, exercise, and administrative responsibilities like cleaning, shopping, and running errands.

The 4 Day Week Campaign claims that it would also lower living expenses because there will be no income loss and less money spent on things like childcare and transportation.

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