A majority of British people expect a four-day week to be the norm in workplaces by 2030, new polling has found.
Some 58 per cent of the public say taking a three-day weekend will be “the normal way of working” by the end of the decade – with only 22 per cent believing it won’t, according to the research by Survation.
The finding comes after a landmark trial of a four-day week in dozens of UK companies was hailed as an “overwhelming success” – with more than 90 per cent of participating firms choosing to adopt the change permanently.
Companies collectively employing thousands of people cut hours without reducing pay, and reported improvements in productivity and happier staff after introducing the change – with many saying there were no real downsides.
One organisation that has adopted a four-day week with no loss of pay is environmental charity Friends of the Earth, which employs around 220 people.
The NGO has seen staff satisfaction and retention increase, and says it is finding it easier to recruit people. Notably, the charity decided against joining the temporary trial and went straight to a permanent three-day weekend from December 2022.
The thinking behind this was that the biggest benefits from switching would come if people were able to permanently reorganise their lives around the shorter hours.
“If you do a pilot, it’s a big change to ask people to make in their working week and their lives ... the prospect then of saying, actually, we’re not sure if it’s going to be a four- or five-day week, didn’t seem fair,” Adrian Cruden, the charity’s head of people, told The Independent.
“Our experience so far – we’re about five months in – is that it’s very positive. We see ourselves still doing the same – if not more – work, but in less time.”
Crucially, the organisation has not had to increase its headcount to compensate for the reduction in hours. It says it is able to function as a five-day operation by having some of its employees work Monday to Thursday and others Tuesday to Friday.
The idea of cutting the working week has moved up the political agenda in the UK since 2018, when Labour’s shadow chancellor at the time, John McDonnell, said his party was looking into it.
Under its current leadership, the Labour Party has not so far been forthcoming about the idea, but trials like the one conducted last year have helped sustain interest.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has also backed the plan, arguing it is an obvious continuation of the reductions in the working week that took place throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
“It’s only right that working people share in the productivity gains from new technology. The benefits mustn’t just be hoarded by those at the top. That means a shorter working week on the same pay,” said TUC general secretary Paul Nowak.
A large majority of people want the government to look at ways of implementing the change across the country, the Survation polling found.
Some 65 per cent of people said they would support the government “exploring the introduction of a four-day working week, with no loss of pay for workers”, with just 10 per cent opposed to the idea.
But ministers are hesitant to take any action on the policy. “We have no plans to introduce a four-day working week,” a government spokesperson said when pushed on the idea by The Independent. “The government is entirely focused on delivering the prime minister’s priorities for people across the UK, such as growing the economy and cutting waiting lists.”
Jane Gratton, head of people policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, which represents businesses, said a four-day week could work for some companies.
“For employers across the country who are struggling to fill job vacancies, access to skills is a major concern. Increasingly, they are looking for new ways to attract and retain skilled people and boost business productivity,” she said.
“Some firms have trialled a four-day working week and, while it can offer benefits for employers and their teams, it may not work for all businesses and individuals.”
Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, which commissioned the Survation polling, said: “We are long overdue an update to working hours, and the British public are ready to say goodbye to the outdated 9-5, five-day working week.
“Moving the economy to a four-day week can be achieved by the end of this decade, and it would give everyone the time to be able to live much happier and more fulfilled lives.”
