{"id":66743,"date":"2022-02-08T14:26:13","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T12:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/factorialhr.com\/blog\/?p=66743"},"modified":"2026-03-30T10:41:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T08:41:13","slug":"four-day-work-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Four-Day Work Week Hailed a \u2018Major Breakthrough\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A large majority of companies that took part in the largest ever four-day work week trial will be continuing with the working pattern in what is being hailed a \u2018major breakthrough\u2019 for the UK economy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"js-toc toc\">\n<p class=\"js-toc-title toc__title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<nav id=\"fac_toc_nav\" class=\"js-toc-nav toc__nav\" aria-label=\"Table of Contents\"><ol class=\"toc__list toc__list--level-1\"><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#four-day-work-week-trial-success\" title=\"Four-Day Work Week Trial Success\" data-target-id=\"four-day-work-week-trial-success\">Four-Day Work Week Trial Success<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#potential-drawbacks-of-a-four-day-work-week\" title=\"Potential Drawbacks of a Four-Day Work Week\u00a0\" data-target-id=\"potential-drawbacks-of-a-four-day-work-week\">Potential Drawbacks of a Four-Day Work Week\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#uk-four-day-week-future\" title=\"UK Four-Day Week Future\u00a0\" data-target-id=\"uk-four-day-week-future\">UK Four-Day Week Future\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#how-4-day-weeks-can-tackle-climate-change\" title=\"How 4 Day Weeks Can Tackle Climate Change\" data-target-id=\"how-4-day-weeks-can-tackle-climate-change\">How 4 Day Weeks Can Tackle Climate Change<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#1-reduce-commuting\" title=\"1. Reduce Commuting\" data-target-id=\"1-reduce-commuting\">1. Reduce Commuting<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#2-build-sustainable-habits\" title=\"2. Build Sustainable Habits\" data-target-id=\"2-build-sustainable-habits\">2. Build Sustainable Habits<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#3-reduce-stress-and-improve-health\" title=\"3. Reduce Stress and Improve Health\" data-target-id=\"3-reduce-stress-and-improve-health\">3. Reduce Stress and Improve Health<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#4-save-energy\" title=\"4. Save Energy\" data-target-id=\"4-save-energy\">4. Save Energy<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#four-day-week-company-success-stories\" title=\"Four-Day Week Company Success Stories\" data-target-id=\"four-day-week-company-success-stories\">Four-Day Week Company Success Stories<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#four-day-week-around-the-globe\" title=\"Four-Day Week Around the Globe\" data-target-id=\"four-day-week-around-the-globe\">Four-Day Week Around the Globe<\/a><\/li><li class=\"toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"toc__link toc-link-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#implement-your-four-day-work-week-with-factorial\" title=\"Implement Your Four-Day Work Week with Factorial\" data-target-id=\"implement-your-four-day-work-week-with-factorial\">Implement Your Four-Day Work Week with Factorial<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Four-Day Work Week Trial Success<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pilot consisted of 61 companies, from marketing agencies to education services, cutting their working hours to 32 hours a week for 6 months without a wage reduction. It was started in June 2022 by non-profit 4 Day Week Global as part of a broader initiative to find ways to make the working day more efficient.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The hypothesis was that it would increase productivity and employee wellbeing whilst reducing the gender gap and unemployment. Fast forward to February 2023 and 56 of those companies have extended the trial whilst 18 have made it permanent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The decision to extend came after companies reported <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.4dayweek.com\/us-ireland-results\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">overwhelmingly positive results<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 71% of participating employees reported feeling lower levels of burnout, 43% experienced stronger mental health and 40% slept better. The amount of sick days taken also fell by almost two-thirds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having an extra personal day allowed workers to improve their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/work-life-balance-and-why-its-important\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">work-life balance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and allocate more time to family, friends, and hobbies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alison Dunn, chief executive of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensadvice.org.uk\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Citizens Advice<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and advocate of the 4-day week, explains: \u201cOur staff have had the intensity of their work ramp up following the pandemic and cost of living crisis. Burnout has been an issue, so the four-day week has given them space to decompress: we\u2019ve had people spend their extra day off with their children, take forest walks and monetise their hobbies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66746 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08141025\/Untitled-design-27.png\" alt=\"Employees working together.\" width=\"830\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08141025\/Untitled-design-27.png 830w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08141025\/Untitled-design-27-300x145.png 300w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08141025\/Untitled-design-27-768x370.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" \/><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employers felt financial benefits, too, with 57% fewer staff leaving companies and average revenue rising 35% against 2021.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ed Siegel, Chief Executive of participant company <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.charitybank.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charity Bank<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also saw benefits to employer brand: \u201cI would say that for roughly two-thirds of our team, it\u2019s been fantastic \u2013 it\u2019s been amazingly successful. They have successfully transitioned to working four days a week and they love it. It has really moved the dial on the mood, and people are like, \u2018Wow, that\u2019s a great organisation I\u2019m working for here.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Joe Ryle, Director of the campaign, is thrilled with the results, commenting: \u201cAcross a wide variety of sectors, wellbeing has improved dramatically for staff; and business <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/time-management-productivity\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">productivity<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has either been maintained or improved in nearly every case.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019re really pleased with the results and hopefully it does show that the time to roll out a four-day week more widely has surely come.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The overwhelmingly positive results have been presented to MPs as part of the fight to implement a 4-day work across the UK.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Potential Drawbacks of a Four-Day Work Week\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet, despite the positive data, there are still some potential drawbacks to the 32-hour week that could hinder its rollout. Of the 61 companies that trialled it, 18 businesses reverted to the traditional 5-day working pattern.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rivelinrobotics.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rivelin Robotics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, an 8-person startup that have been taking Fridays off as part of the pilot, met some speedbumps. David Alatorre, Chief Technology Officer at the firm, \u201cwanted to instil a culture in the company of putting <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-build-an-employee-wellbeing-strategy\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wellbeing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> first\u201d but wasn\u2019t convinced by the shorter week in relation to productivity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe had a trade show that was a big launch for one of our products and a couple of the major parts were delayed. And we just couldn\u2019t physically start the process until they arrived,\u201d Mason said. \u201cThere was no way at that point in time that we could have spread that load.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66745 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08140906\/imgonline-com-ua-CompressToSize-tRocWWeT7ARxYKg.jpg\" alt=\"Employees working a four day work week.\" width=\"830\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08140906\/imgonline-com-ua-CompressToSize-tRocWWeT7ARxYKg.jpg 830w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08140906\/imgonline-com-ua-CompressToSize-tRocWWeT7ARxYKg-300x145.jpg 300w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08140906\/imgonline-com-ua-CompressToSize-tRocWWeT7ARxYKg-768x370.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another company that struggled with the shorter week was engineering and industrial supplies company Allcap. Managing Director Mark Roderick was hoping to offer his staff some relief after they worked intensely throught the pandemic, but the move had the opposite effect, causing them to leave the trial early.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAs opposed to 10 normal workdays, we found that employees would have nine extreme ones \u2013 once they got to their scheduled day off they were exhausted,\u201d Roderick explains. \u201cOnce we factored in holidays, sickness and caring responsibilities, we also struggled to find cover for an employee on their rest day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participating companies that faced these issues suggested a 6-hour workday instead, claiming that would avoid workloads intensifying too much.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">burnout<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> wasn\u2019t the only issue that arose throughout the pilot. Employers managing customer-facing roles found scheduling a challenge; some had to hire new talent to allow existing staff to have 3-day weekends, pushing up recruitment costs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exclusivity was another blocker for these businesses. The working pattern is \u201cnot available to our contact centre team, who have clearly defined opening hours,\u201d says Dunn from Citizens Advice. \u201cTheir work is heavily monitored with specific KPIs set by our founder that need to be delivered \u2013 currently, they can only make marginal gains.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These industries also found that, as their busiest days are those that others will be off work, they can\u2019t afford to offer customer-facing positions 3-day weekends. This creates massive inconsistencies in company policy that could lead to resentment towards management and job dissatisfaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>UK Four-Day Week Future\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the hurdles some companies have faced, 4 Day Week Campaign is now fighting to give workers across the nation the right to request a 4-day week. They presented the results to the government in February as part of this move.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ryle explains: \u201cThe economy doesn\u2019t need us to be working five days a week any more. It was 100 years ago, the shift to a five-day week, and the economy\u2019s transformed since then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The majority of participants extending the trial shows that attitudes have changed since before the pandemic and employers are more receptive to the change. What remains unclear is whether the government will be on board, and how companies across different industries will approach shorter weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-3xl font-semibold text-gray-900 js-post-title md:text-5xl\">How 4 Day Weeks Can Tackle Climate Change<\/h2>\n<h2>1. Reduce Commuting<\/h2>\n<p>Reducing commuting is one of the most important contributors to the positive climate impact of the four-day work week. One study found that introducing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.4dayweek.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a four-day work week by 2025 would shrink UK emissions by 127m tonnes a year<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 equivalent to taking 27 million cars off the road.<\/p>\n<p>A five-day week means five days a week of commuting. And while only 27% of Londoners commute to work by car, most regions in the UK and other countries report this figure at about 70%.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Data from the UK pilot showed a 10% reduction in commuting time during the trial period.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One study linked a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/peri.umass.edu\/media\/k2\/attachments\/4.2KnightRosaSchor.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10% reduction in working hours to a 14.6% drop in carbon footprint, a 12.1% drop in ecological footprint, and a 4.2% drop in carbon dioxide<\/a>. A four-day week would represent a 20% reduction in hours, potentially leading to double these figures.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s essential to recognise the compound effect of reducing commuting too<\/strong>. Someone driving to work less minimises the individual\u2019s carbon footprint, but when many people are reducing their commuting and working hours too, it also starts impacting traffic. This further reduces time on the road and reduces pollution from idling in traffic \u2013 which can produce twice as much exhaust emissions as an engine in motion.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Build Sustainable Habits<\/h2>\n<p>The four-day work week UK pilot also found that those taking part were inclined towards a lower consumption lifestyle and had more time for time-consuming sustainable habits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More \u2018disposable\u2019 time impacted behaviour and people were more likely to engage in low-carbon activities like hiking and adopt more climate-friendly practices like recycling and buying eco-friendly products.<\/strong>\u00a0They were more likely to take public transport and volunteer for pro-environment causes.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-101337 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/03115140\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438072_11zon.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 951px) 100vw, 951px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/03115140\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438072_11zon.jpg 1720w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/03115140\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438072_11zon-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/03115140\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438072_11zon-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/03115140\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438072_11zon-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/03115140\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438072_11zon-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" alt=\"how 4 day weeks are tackling climate change\" width=\"951\" height=\"635\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"3-reduce-stress-and-improve-health\" class=\"toc-section\"><\/span>3. Reduce Stress and Improve Health<\/h2>\n<p>The shorter work week trial in the UK saw 2,900 employees across the country take part throughout the six months. Surveys taken before and after found that 39% said they were less stressed, 40% said they slept better, and 54% said they had a better work-life balance. These are incredible results for employees, but how can this positively impact the environment?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stress doesn\u2019t solely cost the individual;\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/neweconomics.org\/2018\/05\/stressed-economy-stressed-society-stressed-nhs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">it also costs the NHS 165,000 bed days per year with a price tag of \u00a371 million.<\/a>\u00a0Stress may also play a major role in other acute and chronic conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, and obesity. Each of these is a significant burden on the healthcare system, too, which is<strong>\u00a0one of the most emission-heavy components of our society, accounting for between 4 and 5 % of our annual emissions.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"4-save-energy\" class=\"toc-section\"><\/span>4. Save Energy<\/h2>\n<p>Office buildings across different sectors are also high energy consumers \u2013 with businesses using electricity to light, heat, and air condition workplaces,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/business-energy-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the bills can be huge<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not just powering offices that consumes energy to allow us to work.\u00a0<strong>Data centres now outstrip the aviation industry in terms of Green House Gas emissions,<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thereader.mitpress.mit.edu\/the-staggering-ecological-impacts-of-computation-and-the-cloud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">accounting for 2.5% \u2013 3.7% of global emissions.<\/a>\u00a0One big data storage centre consumes the same amount of electricity as 50,000 homes. By effectively turning off data traffic for one day a week, the implications for the environment could be huge.<\/p>\n<h2>Four-Day Week Company Success Stories<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re still not convinced how adopting a four day work week can boost productivity, here are a few businesses across different sectors seeing incredible results.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Technology company\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/01\/05\/the-4-day-workweek-becomes-permanent-for-tech-company-bolt.html#:~:text=Employees%20of%20San%20Francisco-based%20tech%20company%20Bolt%2C%20pictured,U.S.%20that%20have%20moved%20to%20the%20shortened%20workweek.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bolt<\/a>\u00a0introduced the four day week in 2021. According to an interview with its founder, 94% of workers and 91% of managers wanted to continue after the three-month trial. Bolt have embraced change on a permanent basis and adopted the four-day work week for all employees\u2013improving work\/life balance for its workforce.<\/li>\n<li>US-based\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/buffer.com\/four-day-work-week\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>Buffer<\/u><\/a>\u00a0increased productivity and employee well-being by implementing a four-day working week. It saw a staggering increase in productivity and happiness among 91% of its team members.<\/li>\n<li>Project management software company,\u00a0<u>Basecamp<\/u>\u00a0has been well ahead of other businesses and implemented a four-day working week policy in 2008. Its four-day work week during the summer months every year allows employees to take advantage of lighter evenings and warmer weather\u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychreg.org\/mental-health-benefits-summer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>improving mood and productivity<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Four-Day Week Around the Globe<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reducing hours to improve work-life balance isn\u2019t a new concept. Countries across the globe have trialled a four day week and have responded to the results in different ways.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Germany<\/h3>\n<p>German start-ups and large enterprises have experimented with a shorter working week successfully. As a result, more than 150 companies in Germany have now switched to a four-day week on a permanent basis, with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/worldpopulationreview.com\/country-rankings\/what-countries-have-4-day-work-weeks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>71% of German companies<\/u><\/a>\u00a0preferring it.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, Germany now has the least number of working hours per year per employee of all countries worldwide\u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/data.oecd.org\/emp\/hours-worked.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>ranked first out of 46 countries<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Japan<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Big companies including Panasonic and Microsoft Japan cut work hours and joined the movement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CEO of Panasonic stated \u201cWe must support the wellbeing of each employee\u201d, and Microsoft Japan reported a reduction in electricity costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Iceland<\/h3>\n<p>One of the world leaders in the four-day working week, Iceland carried out two trials of a 35-36 hour work week involving 2500 public sector employees between 2015 and 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The trials showed a shorter work week reduced stress and burnout without affecting service provision or productivity. Hence, participating businesses in Iceland reduced their working hours, and the vast majority, almost <a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/2023\/02\/23\/the-four-day-week-which-countries-have-embraced-it-and-how-s-it-going-so-far\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>90% of the working population<\/u><\/a>, have reduced hours or other flexible working patterns to reduce perceived stress.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-66744 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08135945\/imgonline-com-ua-CompressToSize-CZa6opfeMIPpQOEC.jpg\" alt=\"Employees working a four day work week.\" width=\"830\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08135945\/imgonline-com-ua-CompressToSize-CZa6opfeMIPpQOEC.jpg 830w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08135945\/imgonline-com-ua-CompressToSize-CZa6opfeMIPpQOEC-300x145.jpg 300w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08135945\/imgonline-com-ua-CompressToSize-CZa6opfeMIPpQOEC-768x370.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>United States<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bolt was the first tech unicorn to experiment with the four-day week work and prove that doing so could increase productivity, engagement, and wellness.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Scotland<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a fund for firms to trial the four-day week.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Companies who are implementing it reported increases in profitability and efficiency. LUX, a creative agency, informed growths of 30% in output and profitability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some organisations implemented this to close the gender gap and support minorities to fulfil their potential. This was the case for YWCA Scotland, who believe cutting hours has major benefits for working women.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>New Zealand<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unilever.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>Unilever<\/u><\/a>\u00a0trialled the shorter work week by paying its employees five days while working just four.<\/p>\n<p>The New Zealand-based trial lasted 18 months and showed an improvement in staff well-being. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nzherald.co.nz\/business\/global-giant-unilever-keeping-four-day-working-week-in-nz-after-trial\/6Q4KHHDJ3REMNMK3STNCTJISWA\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>results<\/u><\/a>\u00a0showed employees took fewer sick days, stress levels were reduced by 33%, and work life conflict fell by 67%.<\/p>\n<h3>Belgium<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/2022\/02\/15\/belgium-approves-four-day-week-and-gives-employees-the-right-to-ignore-their-bosses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>Recent legislation<\/u><\/a>\u00a0in Belgium now allows workers to work a four-day work week. Although employees are still expected to maintain their contracted hours with the same pay, workers now have the option to work flexibly\u2013extending working hours each day while working fewer days.<\/p>\n<h2>Implement Your Four-Day Work Week with Factorial<\/h2>\n<p>Follow our step-by-step guide and implement the four day work week at your company:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Consult with your people.<\/strong>\u00a0Find out employee thoughts and aspirations about their existing five day week and working patterns. An\u00a0internal communication tool\u00a0from Factorial can simplify the consultation process and provide transparency.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Role model best practices<\/strong>. A top-down, bottom-up approach shows your people you are excited about new working patterns. Show your workforce how excited you are about new ways of working, such as sharing how you will spend your day off.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep salaries the same<\/strong>. Just because people will be working fewer hours does not mean reducing their wages. Base outcomes on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/time-management-productivity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">productivity<\/a>\u00a0levels, not working hours, and communicate this regularly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Start small.\u00a0<\/strong>Test out your four-day week processes to measure success. Use\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/hr-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>customisable reports and metrics<\/u><\/a>\u00a0from employee satisfaction surveys or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/time-attendance-signing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>time-tracking software<\/u><\/a>\u00a0to gather accurate insights and make future decisions based on fact, not a hunch. Configure the different types of absences and get complete visibility of everyone\u2019s working patterns at the touch of a button.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create and track employee performance<\/strong>. Find out if your new four-day working patterns positively impact individuals with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/performance-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>performance reviews<\/u><\/a>. Tackle any difficulties with new ways of working and reduce the potential for staff quitting for reasons you can resolve together, such as issues with childcare arrangements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Document procedures<\/strong>. Store your new four day work week policies safely in Factorial\u2019s encrypted\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/best-document-management-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>document management system<\/u><\/a>. Securely upload, share, and organise all your company\u2019s documents for new and existing employees to access when needed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>While you transition, don\u2019t forget to consider these elements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/hr-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>cloud-based HR software<\/u><\/a>\u00a0to reduce traditional paper-based HR records and improve data security.\u00a0Automate routine tasks and make sure employees stick to their agreed hours, supporting a better work life balance.<\/li>\n<li>Since\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.td.org\/insights\/5-steps-for-building-trust-in-the-workplace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>one in three people<\/u><\/a>\u00a0doesn\u2019t trust their employer, build confidence for reasons for change by keeping the whole workforce well-informed of progress and developments.<\/li>\n<li>Communicate your goals and empower your people to take ownership of new working practices by involving them in decision-making. Why not invite an employee representative to your next HR strategy meeting? They can give feedback on vital information to colleagues\u2013saving you time to spend on other business priorities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/get-started\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-98265\" src=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/05125418\/Get-started_11zon.jpg\" alt=\"free trial hr software factorial\" width=\"900\" height=\"308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/05125418\/Get-started_11zon.jpg 900w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/05125418\/Get-started_11zon-300x103.jpg 300w, https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/05125418\/Get-started_11zon-768x263.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A large majority of companies that took part in the largest ever four-day work week trial will be continuing with the working pattern in what is being hailed a \u2018major breakthrough\u2019 for the UK economy.\u00a0 Four-Day Work Week Trial Success The pilot consisted of 61 companies, from marketing agencies to education services, cutting their working<a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/\" class=\"read-more\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":66756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[342,343],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-engagement","category-hr-trends"],"acf":{"topics":"time"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.5 (Yoast SEO v21.9.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>UK Four-Day Work Week: Trial Results, Benefits, Success Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The results of the UK\u2019s four-day work week trial were incredibly positive. Read about the pilot, pros of a 4 day week and global case studies.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UK Four-Day Work Week Hailed a \u2018Major Breakthrough\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The results of the UK\u2019s four-day work week trial were incredibly positive. Read about the pilot, pros of a 4 day week and global case studies.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Factorial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Factorial\/100064908455810\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-08T12:26:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-30T08:41:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/08142926\/imgonline-com-ua-CompressToSize-2cA9QXE9llxaas.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"830\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Baigey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@factorialapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@factorialapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Baigey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma Baigey\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/60f87cc8ee5125540515f3d7936d39b4\"},\"headline\":\"UK Four-Day Work Week Hailed a \u2018Major Breakthrough\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-08T12:26:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-30T08:41:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/\"},\"wordCount\":2401,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Culture &amp; Engagement\",\"HR Trends\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/four-day-work-week\/\",\"name\":\"UK Four-Day Work Week: Trial Results, Benefits, Success Stories\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-08T12:26:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-30T08:41:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"The results of the UK\u2019s four-day work week trial were incredibly positive. 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