Thousands of companies to trial a four-day week in Britain - firms taking part listed

Thousands of companies to trial a four-day week in Britain - firms taking part listed
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Samantha Haynes

By Samantha Haynes


Published: 04/04/2022

- 21:13

Updated: 06/04/2022

- 17:53

The trial by 4 Day Week Global will measure the impact on productivity, wellbeing, the environment and gender equality

Thousands of UK workers have signed up to a four-day week in a trial which will see 60 firms give employees a longer weekend.

3,000 staff will take part in the pilot, starting from June, and will to lose any wages.


The six month scheme is created by the campaign group 4 Day Week Global and has been taken up by charities, chippies and big corporations.

File photo dated 07/01/16 of office workers at their desks in London.
File photo dated 07/01/16 of office workers at their desks in London.
Lauren Hurley

Productivity will be measured by the researchers, with the aim to find out whether staff will be as efficient when working less hours.

Companies taking part in the scheme include:

Hutch , London and Dundee

Royal Society of Biology

Yo Telecom, Southampton

Adzooma , Nottingham, Manchester and London

Pressure Drop Brewing , London

Happy , London

Platten's Fish and Chips , Wells-next-the-Sea

MBL Seminars , Manchester

Eurowagens , Letchworth

Bookishly , Northampton

Outcomes First Group , Bolton

NeatClean , Stratford-upon-Avon

5 Squirrels , Hove

Salamandra , Eton and Dundee

Girling Jones , Exeter

AKA Case Management , Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester

IE Brand & Digital , Birmingham

Helping Hands

Trio Media

Literal Humans

Physiquipe

Tyler Grange

Timberlake Consultants

Everledge

Scotland's International Development Alliance

Stemette Futures

Comcen

We Are Purposeful

What do politicians think about a four-day week?

In the UK, Jeremy Corbyn wanted to launch a four-day working week in 2019.

The previous Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, launched the policy at the Labour Party conference back in September 2019.

Boris Johnson spoke out against the four-day week proposal, dubbing it a "crackpot plan" and stated that it would be "ruinous for the NHS".

The pandemic has caused a shift to flexible working for many companies, for example Atom Bank made the move to a four-day week last year by making working days longer and freeing up Fridays.

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