County Durham factory turns to four-day week hailing benefits for staff and customers

Rob Brown, S&A Fabrications operations manager (left) and David Longstaff, general manager, at the firm's Barnard Castle base.

A company specialising in producing steel framed buildings has opted for a four-day working week after seeing "outstanding results" in trials.

S&A Fabrications' 30,000 sqft Barnard Castle factory turns out a range of steel framed structures for agricultural, industrial and commercial use. The 33-strong business has transitioned its factory workers to a four-day week, citing increased productivity and satisfaction among staff.

Bosses at the nine-year-old firm say the change has brought "remarkable" improvements, with staff working the same number of hours as they would in five days, between Monday to Thursday with shortened break times. The firm says it has focussed its work and made for a more efficient working week.

Simon Pelly, managing director of S&A Fabrications, said: "We wanted to enhance our work environment and explore ways to boost productivity without compromising our workers' well-being. The new schedule allows our employees to enjoy a three-day weekend, contributing significantly to their work-life balance and overall happiness."

S&A says the move has made its workforce more engaged and efficient during their working hours, resulting in higher output and better quality products. It now uses Fridays to perform maintenance on idle machines, meaning production is not disturbed and unexpected downtime is minimised.

One long-time employee, Colin Gilbert, said: "The change has been a game-changer for us. We feel more rested and motivated. Knowing we have a longer weekend to look forward to really helps us stay focused during the week."

S&A joins a number of other North East firms to have adopted four-day working weeks, though the majority have so far been office-based service industries. Others to have taken up the model include Durham-based digital bank Atom; Citizens Advice, Gateshead; North Shields charity Rise and digital marketers Evolved Search.

Early last year the results of the world's largest four-day week trial were released showing the majority of the 61 companies to have participated stuck with the model. In a report by the think tank Autonomy and academics at the University of Cambridge and Boston College in the US, it was explained that companies said business performance and productivity was maintained while employees reported lower levels of burnout with more time to manage childcare and other commitments.

S&A has pointed to separate research by Henley Business School that suggested businesses that adopted a four-day week reported reduced absenteeism, lower stress levels, and created higher job satisfaction among employees. The firm says its own move could now set a precedent for others in the manufacturing sector.