UK tech firms have a chance to trial a four-day week this year – here’s how other pilot schemes fared
British tech companies considering shifting to a four-day week can now sign up for a supported six-month trial with the 4 Day Week Foundation.
The campaign group is offering six weeks of training and workshops beginning in May, as well as holding an event on 17 April in London for more information. The trial will be followed and assessed by researchers at University of Sussex and Newcastle University.
The trial is the latest to be run by the foundation, which has supported multiple pilots across different industries in the UK after Covid reignited a push to reduce the work week, especially amid a shift to working from home.
And while some companies have pushed for a wider return to office, surveys suggest most employees prefer flexible working — with three-quarters saying they would turn down a role without hybrid options.
That means shifting to a four-day working week could be one way that tech companies can help compete when it comes to finding talent, while also helping to address burnout.
Is the four-day week perfect for tech?
Tech companies looking to make the shift to four days with no loss of pay wouldn’t be alone. The 4 Day Week Foundation said in January that more than 200 companies, representing more than 5,000 workers, had made the shift permanently.
Of those, 24 are in the technology and IT sector — and that includes digital fintech Atom Bank, which at 550 staff is one of the biggest four-day week accredited companies in the UK.
“Nothing better represents the future of work than the tech sector which we know is an agile industry ripe for embracing new ways of working such as a four-day week,” said Sam Hunt, business network coordinator at the 4 Day Week Foundation.
Benefits for all
The last UK study showed improvements in performance, productivity and wellbeing of workers, with the foundation pointing to Microsoft’s switch to a four-day-week in Japan boosting productivity by 40%.
A massive trial in Iceland not only boosted the wellbeing of workers but coincided with the country’s economy outperforming most of Europe.
“As hundreds of British companies have already shown, a four-day, 32 hour working week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for workers and employers,” said Hunt.
“The 9-5, five-day working week was invented 100 years ago and no longer suits the realities of modern life. We are long overdue an update.”
Not all trial participants need to simply send workers home on a Friday. Some of the organizations in Iceland only cut hours to 35 per week, while others have offered a shorter work day or reduced hours in a flexible way reflecting worker needs.
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