2,600 UK employees to benefit from implementation of four-day work week

In a UK-first, 2,600 employees at 100 different British companies will move to a four-day work week while still earning the same wage.

Atom Bank and Awin (who each have around 450 staff members) are two of the bigger companies signing up for a four-day week. Adam Ross, Chief Executive of Awin, has commented on the move, saying, "Over the course of the last year and a half, we have not only seen a tremendous increase in employee wellness and wellbeing, but concurrently, our customer service and relations, as well as talent relations and retention also have benefited.'

The four-day week campaign (a UK-based campaign) is also running a worldwide pilot scheme involving 3,300 employees from 70 companies who are taking part in the six-month-long experiment. The companies taking part were surveyed mid-way through their trial, and it was discovered that 88% of participant companies found the four-day week was working 'well'. 95% said that productivity within their business had either remained the same or improved, while 15% said their productivity had increased dramatically. The remaining percentage of those taking part noticed either no change or a 'slight improvement' in output.

Samantha Losey, boss of a communications firm called Unity, commented on her own experience of the four-day week, saying, "Ultimately, the outcomes we're experiencing, such as better, higher, and a positive team culture shift, are reassuring that the bumps in the road are exponentially worth it."

The majority of companies taking part in the campaign are from the technology or marketing and events sectors, although manufacturing and construction businesses had also signed up to the trial.