Thousands of UK workers might now get a four day work week

Date:
Wed, 29 Jan 2025 06:02:10 +0000

Description:
Thousands of UK workers are set to benefit from a reduced working week.

FULL STORY

For 5,000 lucky workers, the four-day working week just got one step closer.

The 4 Day Week Campaign has revealed 200 companies have now signed up for a permanent four-day working week with no loss of pay for staff.

Theres representation from a few different sectors in this pledge, with 18
Arts and Design firms, alongside Engineering & Manufacturing (12) Recruitment
& HR (12), Entertainment (9), Accountancy, Banking & Finance (8) and Property Development, Trades & Construction (6) all signing up. Win-win

The trend amongst tech companies in 2024 was generally the opposite, with
firms such as Amazon leading the charge in rolling back hybrid working to
issue return to work orders.

But four-day work week campaigners hail the change as a win-win, with
increased productivity for employers, and happier and better rested
employees. In fact, South Cambridgeshire District Council mandated the
policy, and still have over 600 staff working the split, and the council
claims this has improved services all round.

Its no secret that the UK is in the middle of a productivity crisis, and the Labour Government has so far turned to AI for a boost, but studies have shown that companies benefited from increased performance and productivity thanks
to lower levels of burnout and stress amongst employees.

British workers put in some of the longest fulltime working hours in Europe, but we still have one of the least productive economies, says the campaign group .

A four-day week also benefits society in general. Shifting the economy to a 32-hour working week with no loss of pay could shrink the UKs carbon
footprint by up to 127 million tonnes per year.

Elsewhere in the world, Panasonic did trial a four day work week back in 2022 in a bid to reduce the strain on Japanese workers.

Considering the success and popularity of hybrid work, the four day work week could be the natural next step.

======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/thousands-of-uk-workers-might-now-get-a-four-day -work-week

$$
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)