Over 3,000 UK workers to take part in 4-day week trial
With the Covid-19 pandemic changing work forever, companies say shorter workweek could help attract, retain employees
Over 3,000 workers of some 60 companies across Britain are all set to trial a four-day working week.
When implemented, the effort will mark the biggest pilot scheme to take place anywhere in the world, reports British newspaper The Guardian.
Employees from a wide range of businesses and charities are expected to take part in the scheme, which is scheduled to run from June to December initially.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The move comes as the push for companies to adopt a shorter working week – crucially with no loss of pay while aiming for higher productivity – gains momentum as a way of improving working conditions.
A pilot of the initiative is being conducted by academics at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as Boston College in the US, in partnership with the campaign group 4 Day Week Global, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and the Autonomy thinktank, The Guardian added.
This trial is expected to examine how such employment patterns might work at a broad range of companies across the economy.
The participation of some 3,000 workers means it is larger than a previous pilot in Iceland by Reykjavík city council and the national government that included more than 2,500 workers.
The research comes after the Covid-19 pandemic led many people and companies to re-examine their working patterns, with a marked rise in hybrid and flexible practices that eschew the standard nine-to-five, five-day workweek.
