Four-day working week trial a ‘major breakthrough’ as MPs urged to make change for all UK staff
The findings of the world’s biggest trial of a four-day week will be presented to MPs as campaigners call for a 32-hour week for all British workers
Campaigners are set to call on MPs to introduce a 32-hour working week for all British employees after the world’s biggest trial of a four-day week was hailed as a “major breakthrough”.
A total of 61 companies across the UK took part in the trial, which saw them commit to reduce working hours for all staff by 20% for six months from June last year – with no reduction in wages. When it came to the nearly 3,000 staff members taking part, the results showed a significant drop in rates of stress and illness when working a four-day week.
The number of sick days dropped by about two thirds during the trial, while around 39% of employees said they were less stressed compared to when they worked a longer week. The majority of companies said that they planned to keep a shorter working week after the trial ended, with 56 businesses committing to this while 18 confirmed that they had officially made it a permanent change.
