It was almost a century ago that workers in this country switched from working a six-day week to a five-day week. The nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday pattern remains the dominant model of work across most of the western world – despite the fact it was designed for an industrial and agricultural economy that would be barely recognisable to today’s workforce. The five-day week just doesn’t reflect the needs of the modern world.
The pandemic has led to increased support among workers for a four-day working week with no loss of pay; this week, I’m introducing a new bill in parliament that could make this a reality, by reducing the maximum weekly hours to be cut from 48 to 32. Because although the UK works long hours, it currently has one of the least productive economies.
This isn’t only unfair, but is proving to be detrimental to productivity and the economy. Workers need time to rest and recuperate so they don’t work themselves sick. Additional leisure time would also give people the opportunity to bolster local economies by having more time to spend money – this could be the lifeline that many businesses in the hospitality sector need after two long years of the pandemic.
To make matters worse, the age at which people receive a state pension has been put back – in many cases, by years. Retirement for millions of workers is a distant prospect. Is it really too much to ask that we modernise the working week?
The UK is currently taking part in the biggest ever experiment of a four-day week, with no loss of pay for workers: 70 companies and over 3,300 workers are taking part in a pilot run by 4 Day Week Global, the thinktank Autonomy and the 4 Day Week campaign. A survey of the companies taking part at the halfway point suggests the trial is going extremely well, with 86% of employers stating they are likely to continue with a four-day week once the trial comes to an end.
Globally, we’ve seen a similar trend. Wherever the four-day week with no loss of pay has been trialled across the world, it’s been a win-win for workers and employers. And while it might seem counterintuitive that working fewer hours can result in greater productivity, there is mounting evidence that it does.
When Microsoft in Japan trialled a four-day week, they found that productivity increased by 40%. In Iceland, the largest ever shorter-working-week trial for the public sector was an “overwhelming success” and resulted in 86% of Iceland’s working population working shorter hours, or gaining the right to shorten their hours. On top of increased productivity, worker wellbeing dramatically increased across a range of indicators, from perceived stress and burnout, to health and work-life balance.
Furthermore, another study by the environmental organisation Platform London and the 4 Day Week campaign found that by simply working one day less, carbon emissions could fall by up to 127m tonnes per year, the equivalent of taking all private cars off the road.
For workers taking part in the UK trial, the immediate impact on wellbeing has been positive. Kirsty Wainwright, who manages Platten’s fish and chip shop in north Norfolk, says: “Working a four-day week has made a massive difference to my life and I feel a lot happier. It allows me to spend more time with my family and I never seem to reach the fatigue moment at work, which is unheard of in the hospitality industry.
“Having more time to do the mundane things in life, such as life admin, also means I have a bit more of a social life.”
Matt Bolton from the creative agency Mox London, says: “On a personal level, having an extra day off every week has been huge. It allows me to spend more time with my family and my son. Also, from a work perspective, it surprised me how much more focused I am. The moment your mindset shifts to a four-day week, you become naturally more efficient.”
Sharon Platts, chief people officer at Outcomes First Group, which has 1,000 staff and is the largest organisation taking part in the UK trial, says the four-day week pilot has been “transformational” for the company. “We’ve been delighted to see productivity and output increase and have also been able to make it work in our education and care services, which we thought would be far more challenging,” she says.
“While it’s still early days, our confidence in continuing beyond the trial is growing and the impact on colleague wellbeing has been palpable.”
Those who argued against moving from a six-day week to a five-day week 100 years ago said the economy would suffer – and the very same arguments about workers not being able to adapt and businesses not being able to afford it are being made again now against a four-day week.
These arguments were proved wrong then and are being proved wrong again now by the growing number of businesses adopting a four-day week successfully in this country. British workers are fed up with long working hours and low wages. It’s no way to live, but change is coming – and politicians should do all we can to help facilitate it.
Peter Dowd is the Labour MP for Bootle
