UK Witnesses World’s Biggest Four-Day Work Week Pilot

With just four days a week of work, the United Kingdom is all set to start with the largest ever workweek pilot experiment in the world. More than 70 companies and 3,300 employees will be participating. Workers from different sectors will be contributing to the global study. The biggest takeaway is, that with just four days a week of work, the employees will still be receiving full pay. However, it only depends if they maintain the same level of productivity.

Previously, Iceland released the four-year study on a four-day work week which took place from 2015 to 2019. The report helped in showing the stress level and reduced burnout in workers. To boost domestic tourism in New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardren, also talked about implementing the same model.

According to 4 Day Week Global, the study is being conducted with the partnership of Autonomy, a think tank, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign, and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston University. Different sectors will be taking part in this pilot experiment which includes larger corporations, online retail, food and beverage, hospitality sector, digital marketing and more.

Joe O Connor, the CEO of 4 Day Week Global, said in a statement,” The UK is at the crest of a wave of global momentum behind the four-day week. As we emerge from the pandemic, more and more companies are recognizing 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.”

The researchers will oversee and observe the productivity and health of the worker, environmental impact and gender norms. According to 4 Day Week Global, the government will soon launch pilots in Spain and Scotland later this year.