200 UK Companies Permanently Move To 4-Day Work Week Culture

In a landmark move reinventing the working week in the United Kingdom, at least 200 British companies have signed up for a permanent four-day working week for all their employees without any loss of pay.

Together, these 200 companies employ over 5,000 people, and among these charities, marketing and technology firms are the best-represented, a report by The Guardian said quoting the 4 Day Week Foundation. 

Advocates of the four-day week believe the five-day pattern is a hangover from an earlier economic age. Calling for the pattern change, Joe Ryle, the foundation's campaign director, said that the "9-5, five-day working week was invented 100 years ago and is no longer fit for purpose. We are long overdue an update."

Continuing, he said that with 50 per cent more free time at hand, "a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives."

"As hundreds of British companies and one local council have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers," he said.

The change was first adopted by around 30 marketing, advertising and press relations firms. The suit was followed by 29 charity, NGO, and social care industry-based organisations, and 24 technology, IT and software firms. Later, another 22 companies in the business, consulting and management sectors also joined the bandwagon and permanently offered four-day weeks to staff, according to The Guardian report.

Overall, 200 companies have reportedly solidified their commitment to shorter weeks, with its supporters advocating that is a useful way of attracting and retaining employees and improving productivity by creating the same output over fewer hours. 

So far, London-based firms are leading the trend, accounting for 59 of the total allowing 4 day work week.

Battling Traditionality 

The overwhelming support for changing working patterns hints at the growing gulf in culture wars over working structure, which first emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, many employees have been battling for the right to continue working from home, especially when several US-headquartered companies including JPMorgan Chase and Amazon have issued the strictest mandates, demanding staff attend work in person five days a week. 

The workers, who still enjoying the flexibility of remote working, are pushing back against back-to-office mandates. This was seen when a group of staff at Starling Bank resigned after the chief executive demanded thousands of workers attend its offices more frequently.

The Move Finds Support

The move found support in several senior politicians from the Labour party, including the deputy prime minister Angela Rayner. However, the party has not officially embraced the policy since gaining power. 

The Guardian report cited a survey by Spark Market Research, which suggests that youngsters are more likely to march against traditional working patterns and embrace the 4-day work culture. Per the report, about 78 per cent of 18-34-year-olds in the UK believe a four-day working week will become the norm in five years, while 65 per cent said they do not want to see a return to full-time office work.

According to Spark managing director, Lynsey Carolan, "18-34 [year olds], the core workforce of the next 50 years, are making their feelings known that they don't intend to go back to old-fashioned working patterns. This group also say that mental health and improving their overall well-being are their top priorities, so a four-day week is a really meaningful benefit and a key enabler of their overall quality of life."