A 4-day week could be the perfect companion to the Make Work Pay initiative
Partner content
As the government’s initiative to boost the labour market progresses, businesses would do well to look at the benefits highlighted by 4 Day Week Global.
On the surface, the Make Work Pay initiative — part of the government’s mission to grow the economy, raise living standards and create opportunities — makes sense.
Getting more people into and remaining in the workforce, paying them a decent salary and facilitating more productivity while boosting the economy is a win-win for everyone involved.
“The UK currently has one of the least protected labour markets compared to our international partners,” says business secretary Jonathan Reynolds. “It’s time to work together to deliver meaningful reforms that will transform the world of work for the benefit of businesses and workers.”
Find your next media role today via The Media Leader Job Board
At the same time, Make Work Pay also highlights the shift in workplace culture and our collective attitudes to work.
Jobs are no longer for life; we’ve wised up to the fact that referring to co-workers as “family” is a toxic concept and, for the most part, we don’t feel we owe our employers anything outside working hours.
In fact, a recent report by Gallup has uncovered that 90% of the UK workforce is quietly quitting and only 10% feel actively engaged in the work they are doing.
One of the biggest reasons for these stark statistics is employee burnout — the Gallup report also highlighted that 40% of employees were experiencing daily stress, 27% felt daily sadness and 20% were experiencing anger on a daily basis.
New direction
A simple solution to this growing apathy towards work and lack of motivation to go the extra mile could lie in the four-day work week.
In 2022, the 4 Day Week Global pilot scheme, the brainchild of a not-for-profit advocacy group, launched with one simple premise: condensing the working week from the traditional five days to four, with no change to pay or productivity.
Since its launch, it has been adopted by companies in countries including the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Brazil and South Africa, and the data coming out of each trial has been overwhelmingly positive.
Less time spent at work doesn’t equal less productivity. In fact, 4 Day Week Global data shows that the companies that have taken part in the trial have experienced a 36% increase in revenue compared with the previous year, a 42% decrease in employee attrition, 63% have found it easier to attract the best talent and 64% reported a reduction in burnout among employees.
In 2023, the UK pilot scheme featuring over 70 companies experienced similarly positive results, with a 71% decrease in employee burnout, 55% increase in work ability, 35% increase in revenue and 57% decrease in staff quitting.
Additionally, the employees who took part in the trial noted an overall improvement in their mental health (43%) as well as a decrease in negative emotions (54%), fatigue (46%) and sleep problems (40%).
So much so that 92% of the companies that took part in the trial said they were going to move to a four-day week permanently.
Caring benefits
With so many workers struggling with work-life balance, giving people an extra day to pursue personal goals, ease the burden of childcare responsibilities or just switch off so that they can mentally recharge could be hugely beneficial in line with the Make Work Pay initiative.
In fact, 73% of participants in the UK 4 Day Week Global trial reported higher satisfaction with their time, 60% found it easier to balance caregiving responsibilities and men’s involvement in childcare increased by more than double that of women (27% versus 13%).
“It’s not just having a day off a week,” adds Andrew Barnes, co-founder of 4 Day Week Global. “It’s about delivering productivity, meeting customer service standards, meeting personal and team business goals and objectives.”
