UK firms launch world’s biggest 4-day week trial

London, June 6 (EFE).- Around 70 companies in the United Kingdom on Monday launched the world’s biggest four-day work pilot with no loss of pay.

The scheme has been backed by businesses from different sectors, including banking and hospitality, and will see over 30,000 people test the new model over six months.

The project comes after the global Covid-19 pandemic transformed the world of work and companies are “recognising that the new frontier for competition is quality of life, and that reduced-hour, output-focused working is the vehicle to give them a competitive edge,” Joe O’Connor, chief executive of 4 Day Week Global, said.

O’Connor’s charity has joined forces with the Autonomy think tank and researchers at Cambridge and Oxford University and Boston College.

Companies will continue to pay workers 100% of their salary and the outcome of the pilot will be closely followed by university researchers who will measure the impact on productivity as well as employee well-being.

Researchers will analyze how employees respond to various factors, such as added stress, job satisfaction, health, sleep, travel and energy levels.

Ed Siegel, chief executive at Charity Bank, which is participating in the scheme, said Monday that the pandemic has changed things in favor of work flexibility.

“We firmly believe that a four-day week with no change to salary or benefits will create a happier workforce and will have an equally positive impact on business productivity, customer experience and our social mission,” Siegel added.

Some companies have refused to join the four-day trial, including Tesla, whose CEO, Elon Musk, recently ordered his staff to return to the office for a minimum of 40 hours a week. EFE

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