New research conducted by ADP has found that 60% of UK workers would like the flexibility and the option of a 4 day working week available to them. Support for this rises to 67% in London.
4 Day Working Week
The new survey on the issue of a 4 day working week by ADP found that:-
- 60% of UK workers would like the option of a 4 day working week available to them, the figure increasing to 67% in London
- 45% of workers would take a pay cut if it meant that they could work in a job which provided them with an improved work / life balance. This increases to 64% in London
- 40% of UK workers would accept a pay cut if it meant that they had greater flexibility over where they were able to work (i.e at home or in the office, or a combination of the two), a figure that increases to 57% in London
- 60% of workers believe that their employer already has the infrasture in place that would enable them to facilitate a 4 day working week
- 23% of workers state that they have been given the option of moving to a 4 day working week in the next year
The General Manager UK & Ireland at ADP, Sirsha Halder, points out that: "Not so long ago, the move towards a four-day week might have been laughed off: now it merits serious consideration. Especially if granting requests for higher wages is not a viable option. It is important that employers sit up and take notice. In today’s tight labour market, maintaining a happy and stable workforce is paramount. It’s clear that hybrid work and the desire for flexibility after two years of working from home is not going away – in fact, it’s growing in momentum."
Halder adds: "Retaining staff doesn’t just come from paying the best wages. Rather, our research suggests that flexibility is now the most sought-after component. However, when staff ask for flexibility, the emphasis is less on location and more so on when – and how – they work. It is encouraging that so many are embracing the 4 day working week and are providing staff with the work-life balance that they crave."
6 Month Trial
A 6 month trial was recently launched by the campaign group, 4 Day Week Global, which is being run in conjunction with Oxford and Cambridge academics and others. 60 companies comprising of over 3000 employees are involved in the trial. Employees of the participating employers will be working a 4 day working week without the loss of any pay. The aim is to determine whether the 4 day working week yields an increase in productivity, as well as improvements in health, wellbeing, work life balance, and staff retention.
The trial is the largest ever of its type, the previous biggest being one conducted in Iceland involving 2500 workers. The Scottish Government will also be conducting a £10 million pilot scheme, with Spain already having launched its own 3 year trial in early 2021.
100:80:100 Model
The 6 month trial is based on what is known as the 100:80:100 model, in which employers pay their employees their full pay (i.e. 100%) despite only working 80% of the normal working week (i.e. a 4 day working week, instead of 5). In exchange, the employee looks to deliver 100% productivity (i.e. produce what they had been doing in 5 days, in 4 days).
The chief executive of 4 Day Week Global, Joe O’Connor, contends that: "As we emerge from the pandemic, more and more companies are recognising 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."
Up until 1926, a 6 day working week (i.e. Monday - Saturday) was the norm. It was only on the 1st May 1926 when the Ford Motor Company adopted a 5 day 40 hour working week that the 5 day working week became the widely accepted approach. At the time, Henry Ford stated: "It is high time to rid ourselves of the notion that leisure for workmen is either ‘lost time’ or a class privilege."
Ford's objective in shortening the working week was to increase productivity, and it worked. That is the goal behind the 4 day working week trial, and the results are awaited with great interest
