Four-day work week pilot launched in UK – how it works and is the pay the same?

We’ve all had that same feeling on a Monday, that the weekend did just not last long enough.

Arguments have raged for years over how long the working week should be, with some believing that the current standard of five days is too long.

The change in working routine is now being trialled in a scheme in the UK, as well as across the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.

The pilot scheme is part of research by Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College, in partnership with think tank Autonomy and 4 Day Week Global.

There are plenty of reservations over if it works and the problems that would arise, such as staff shortages and increased pressure on employees, but some companies are now ready to give it ago.

So how does it all work?

How does the four-day working week work?

Six UK companies are reported to be taking part in the scheme set to last six months and as many as 30 British companies could sign up.

The hope is that a four-day week will increase worker productivity, benefitting both their own time and what their business get out of them.

The Pilot Programme Manager for 4 Day Week Global, Joe O’Connor, said that is hoped that a shorter working week will be successful and encourage more companies to take part.

“We are excited by the growing momentum and interest in our pilot program and in the four-day week more broadly, ” O’Connor said.

“The four-day week challenges the current model of work and helps companies move away from simply measuring how long people are “at work”, to a sharper focus on the output being produced. 2022 will be the year that heralds in this bold new future of work.”

Are people on a four-day working week paid the same?

The point of the four-day working week is that people are paid the same.

How much a person works won’t affect how much their landlords are charging them for rent, what supermarkets are charging for food and the price of a pint. So if a four-day working week involved a pay cut, there wouldn’t be much of an incentive for workers to sign up for it.

The scheme asks workers to work for a smaller amount of time, for the same pay, in the hope that productivity actually increases.

Productivity benefits the business that employs them and employees get to spend more valuable time away from work.