Can the four-day-week become a mainstream working practice?
The appeal of a four-day working week – especially while remaining on a fulltime salary – doesn’t exactly need to be underlined.
A recent survey from recruiter Robert Half found that 49 per cent of UK workers want to swap to a compressed four-day week – and the concept is picking up political momentum in both Spain and Scotland.
But is it realistically ever going to become a mainstream working practice , or remain on the fringes, suitable only for a mere handful of industries?
One major advocate is job site Four Day Week, which is focused on this type of role and others offering flexible working more broadly. Co-founder David Barrett believes the benefits are “multifaceted”.
He cites a major trial that found a reduction in stress and anxiety among staff – as well as helping parents divide childcare, accelerating the shrinking of the gender pay gap. “In general, a four-day week would also provide more time for 'life admin' and time to spend with their families, which is only a good thing.”
Mr Barrett also says there are environmental benefits such as fewer emissions from commuting. “We would also hope to see less unemployment as a result of more positions becoming available [due to] the hours no longer being worked.”
He also says firms report increased productivity – while staff are less likely to take sick days. Indeed, Advice Direct Scotland – which operates Scotland’s national advice service – noted that absenteeism dropped by an “astonishing” 77 per cent in the wake of all staff moving to a four-day week in 2018.
Mr Barrett adds that several companies, including Scottish-headquartered Pursuit Marketing, have reported higher profitability as a result of working fewer hours too.
Pursuit, which says it has pioneered a four-day working week for its employees in Glasgow and London since 2016, states that the success of a four-day week at its base in Malaga, Spain, had led to interaction with the Spanish government as it takes the first steps of a pilot looking at its introduction in the country.
Lorraine Gray, director at the firm, said: “Our four-day week has been such a success over the past five years, but this is only one chunk of the flexible working package. There is no doubt that the last year has led to many businesses reassessing how they can provide colleagues with greater work-life balance and we’ve been pleased to speak to other employers who have asked us to share our experiences.”
The Scottish company’s comments come as the Flexforlife report is published by Flexibility Works – a social enterprise backed by the Scottish Government and The Hunter Foundation – which has found that nearly four out of five employers say Covid has permanently changed how, when and where we work. That said many issues need to be considered such as whether a four-day week means a firm will reduce pay accordingly – and not everyone can afford such a move. It might work well in a creative agency or other knowledge-based environment, but is more complex in occupations such as teaching or nursing. Emma Stewart, co-founder and development director at flexible working consultancy Timewise, said “The conversation about the four-day week is a really important one, but we need to remember that some people want to work less, others need to work more, particularly those in lowpaid, part-time jobs – and some just need more control and autonomy to choose.”