Photo by Alex Kotliarskyi on Unsplash
Making a major change in the way Brits work, 100 UK companies have switched to a four-day work week without any pay cut.
Organisers of the Four-day week campaign group UK argue that the 100 companies will be the pioneer of the change in the UK.
Four-day week global and Four-day week campaign group UK ran a pilot programme from June to December 6. Thousands of employees from more than 70 firms have signed up for the UK trial of the four-day week for 100 per cent pay with wide improvement in productivity.
??We hit 100 accredited companies!??
To celebrate, here are 100 reasons why we all need a four-day week: 1/4#4DayWeek #32hours https://t.co/GTYKWBwGIq pic.twitter.com/fiyftYvZzl
— 4 Day Week Campaign (@4Day_Week) November 28, 2022
Chief Executive of affiliate marketing company Awin, Adam Ross said that switching to the four-day working week was “one of the most transformative initiatives we’ve seen in the history of the company” speaking to The Guardian.
A new report of the campaign published on November 30, shows that companies rated their experience 9 out of 10, revenue rose 38 per cent.
The objective of the campaign was not cramming five days’ work into four but aiming to be more productive.
The research was overseen by Oxford and Cambridge Universities and Boston College along with think tank Autonomy.
The final results of the campaign are expected by February 2023, but most of the companies have already decided to make it permanent.
Chief Happiness Officer of workplace consultancy Happy, Henry Stewart said: “Everybody at Happy is clear that they are doing as much in 4 days as they previously did in 5. And their wellbeing is better, so what’s not to like?”
“Happy is getting as much done in 4 days as we previously did in 5, we are just so much more productive. It’s fabulous” added Stewart.
Other big UK companies that have made the 4-day workweek permanent are Atom Bank, Autonomy, Barefoot Architects and many more.
An employee from Happy “found more productive ways of working” and “managed workload efficiently”.
They are also targeting 10 per cent growth with no increase in staffing. The campaign has worked in their favour which is why they have made it permanent.
Co-founders of Four day Week Global, Charlotte Lockheart and Andrew Barnes said: “This is just the start, and we look forward to more research through 2023 which will expand this data set and study other areas of reduced work time and its influence on business, people and our society”.
The campaign is helping companies navigate a new work culture with potential positive outcomes. The final results will be out next February.