Four Day Working Week

Today in the House of Commons I proposed the consideration of a four day working week.

My primary aim, is to try to get the debate about a four day week on the agenda. I accept that the notion is a challenging one but that is no reason to put off the debate, the discussion, the interactions.

This proposal seeks to set up a Working Time Council comprising of representatives of businesses, trade unions, government departments and experts on the subject to advise the Secretary of State how such a transition would affect employers and employees, and how businesses, public bodies and other organisations should approach such a transition.

It is over 100 years since the introduction of 5 day week in different industries.

The influence of Henry Ford in the 1920s in introducing 2 day weekend for those working in his car factories was a pivotal moment. In fact, contrary to the old arguments I have heard time and again, Ford argued that it would boost worker morale and productivity.

The argument went further in that it would lead to more leisure activities and spending. He was right then and his actions still resonant today.

UK workers put in some of the longest full-time working hours. Research from Barclays showed working hours in the UK have fallen 5% on average in the past four decades, with British worker now working 27% more hours on average than their German counterparts. Meanwhile, France, Italy and Spain enjoyed at least a 10% decline in hours worked.

And yet despite people working longer hours than our competitors or partners, as a nation we are one of the least productive countries in the G7.

The world's biggest four-day week pilot launched in the UK and ran from June to December 2022. 61 companies and around 2,900 workers took part.

The results of the pilot conducted by The Autonomy Institute and academics at the University of Cambridge, found that the trial had significant positive impacts for employees and employers alike.

It was a big success. The pilot has proved to be a popular, with 54 companies continuing with the four-day week and a year on from the pilot 31 of which are doing so on a permanent basis.

A recent study has also shown that much of the positive impacts, particularly in relation to reductions in stress and burnout, and improvements in productivity, were still present one year on from the end of the trial.

What about he impact on employees?

○ 71% reported reduced levels of burnout.

○ 54% said it was easier to balance work with household responsibilities.

○ 60% found an increased ability to combine paid work with care responsibilities.

○ 62% reported it was easier to combine work with social life.

As for the impact on companies, revenue rose by 1.4% over the trial period. When compared to a similar period from previous years, organisations reported revenue increases of 35% on average.

Staff leaving participating companies decreased significantly, dropping by over 57% over the trial period.

Evidence suggests that there are benefits for employees, employers, broader economic, environmental and societal advantages, not to mention the impact on gender equality.

History shows that changes in patterns of work, working arrangements, the nature of work and other associated issues will eventually lead to a four day week over a period of time.

It will be in a long line of changes in employment practices that occur either naturally, incrementally or as a result of changes brought on by war as was seen in the first and second world wars or, as we witnessed, during Covid circumstances no one planned for.

Let’s embrace the change, let’s plan for the change. If we do want to get the country working productively, if we do want to get the many millions of people without work to get back into work then let’s do it as productively as we can.

If lengthening the time we are asking or requiring people to work by extra year, two years or even more in the future, the least we can do is to look at the benefits of a shorter the working week without loss of pay.

Is that really too much to ask? I don’t think so, and more and more employers and employees take the face view.

Let’s not make an enemy of progress, let’s embrace it.