Employees from a wide range of businesses and charities are expected to participate in the program, which runs from June to December, including the Royal Society of Biology, the London-based Pressure Drop brewery, a medical device company based in Manchester. , and a fish and chip shop in Norfolk. It comes as the push for companies to adopt a shorter working week – mostly without loss of wages, while aiming for higher productivity – is gaining momentum as a way to improve working conditions. The pilot program is conducted by academics at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as Boston College in the USA, in collaboration with the 4 Day Week Global campaign team, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and the thinktank Autonomy. Starting the test to see how such employment patterns can work in a wide range of companies across the economy, the 3,000-employee turnout means more than a previous pilot in Iceland by the Reykjavik City Council and the national government, which included more from 2,500 employees. The research comes after the Covid pandemic led many people and companies to reconsider their work patterns, with a marked increase in hybrid and flexible practices that avoid the typical nine- to five-, five-day workweek. Joe O’Connor, CEO of 4 Day Week Global, said there was no way we could “turn the clock back” to the pre-pandemic world. “Increasingly, managers and executives are adopting a new work model that focuses on the quality of results rather than the quantity of hours,” he said. “Workers have come out of the pandemic with different expectations about what constitutes a healthy work-life balance.” Other companies that have tested the four-day week and are not participating in the final test include consumer goods company FTSE 100 Unilever, Japanese electronics company Panasonic and the application-based London-based Atom Bank in London. Mark Downes, chief executive of the Royal Society of Biology, said the decision to test the four-day week was partly a response to an “incredibly competitive” job market. “We are going to try to do more to become a good, innovative employer to attract and retain our current staff,” he said. “These possibilities make a huge difference. It’s wonderful for everyone. “ The company’s 35 employees work mostly at King’s Cross in London, but some have moved to distance work during the pandemic. Employees were informed about the test last week and the responses so far have been generally positive, Downs said. The company will remain open five days a week, but with employees generally split between Monday through Thursday and Tuesday through Friday.
