Latest news with #fourDayWeek
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Four-day week pilot hailed a success
The latest national four-day working week pilot, involving 17 companies and nearly 1,000 workers, has ended with a 100% success rate, it was announced on Thursday. All 17 companies have decided to continue working a shorter working week at the end of the trial. The six-month trial began last November and was organised by the 4 Day Week Foundation. Organisations were able to maintain service levels and key performance indicators whilst observing several benefits for employee wellbeing, said the report. Almost two-thirds of workers registered a reduction in how often they experienced burnout, two in five found an improvement in their mental health and almost half said they felt more satisfied with life. Joe Ryle, campaign director of the 4 Day Week Foundation, said: 'With greater knowledge, expertise and experience of what it takes to successfully implement a four-day week, we're really pleased to see such a high success rate. 'People are happier, businesses are thriving, and there's no turning back. 'We've proved it again and again: a four-day week works and should now be implemented more widely across the economy.' Alan Brunt, chief executive of Bron Afon Community Housing with 420 staff, who are extending their pilot further, said: 'Almost as soon as we started talking about it, our teams got together to set about making it work which was brilliant. 'We've closely monitored our performance and customer satisfaction. We're happy with the results so far and will continue to make sure we're delivering for our customers. 'I expect that most organisations will be doing this in the next 10 years or so.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Independent
34 minutes ago
- Business
- The Independent
Businesses ‘thriving' after adopting four-day working week
A national pilot scheme exploring a four-day working week has concluded with a resounding 100 per cent success rate, prompting all participating companies to permanently adopt the shorter schedule. The six-month trial, which began last November, involved 17 companies and nearly 1,000 workers, and was organised by the 4 Day Week Foundation. All 17 firms have now committed to continuing the four-day week beyond the pilot phase. A report on the initiative highlighted that organisations were able to maintain their service levels and key performance indicators throughout the trial period. This demonstrated that productivity did not suffer despite the reduction in working days. Crucially, the pilot also yielded substantial benefits for employee wellbeing. Almost two-thirds of workers registered a reduction in how often they experienced burnout, while two in five found an improvement in their mental health. Furthermore, nearly half of the participants reported feeling more satisfied with their lives. Joe Ryle, campaign director of the 4 Day Week Foundation, said: 'With greater knowledge, expertise and experience of what it takes to successfully implement a four-day week, we're really pleased to see such a high success rate. 'People are happier, businesses are thriving, and there's no turning back. 'We've proved it again and again: a four-day week works and should now be implemented more widely across the economy.' Alan Brunt, chief executive of Bron Afon Community Housing with 420 staff, who are extending their pilot further, said: 'Almost as soon as we started talking about it, our teams got together to set about making it work which was brilliant. 'We've closely monitored our performance and customer satisfaction. We're happy with the results so far and will continue to make sure we're delivering for our customers. 'I expect that most organisations will be doing this in the next 10 years or so.'
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Dubai makes big flexible work announcement as four-day week movement ramps up
Another major city is introducing a four-day week for thousands of workers, with the shorter work week movement continuing to grow globally. Within a matter of days, employees in Dubai's public sector will be enjoying three-day weekends and reduced working hours as part of the city's 'Our Flexible Summer' initiative. Kicking off on July 1 and running until September 12, the reduced summer schedule introduced by the Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR) aims to allow workers more flexibility and access to greater work-life balance. As part of the scheme, public sector employees will be divided and put onto two separate flexible working schedules. Those in group one will work Monday to Thursday for 8 hours a day and have Fridays off. Those in group two will also work Monday to Thursday but only for 7 hours a day and will work 4.5 hour days on Fridays. The government decided to roll out the change to all employees following a successful pilot phase last year which was found to have improved overall employee satisfaction and happiness, along with increased productivity. Abdullah Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Director-General of DGHR, said the policy reflected the government's overall vision to create a modern workforce that prioritises work-life balance. 'This isn't just a shift in working hours — it's a reflection of the government's evolving mindset. We are prioritising employee wellbeing alongside institutional efficiency,' he said. 'This initiative demonstrates our firm commitment to enhancing the government work environment, making it more adaptable and responsive to the needs of employees and the community.' Mr Al Falasi said the expanded edition of the previous four-day week trial builds on the successful outcomes seen last year. He said the move supports Dubai's aspirations to be a leader in delivering 'flexible, sustainable, and people-centric government services'. The change comes amid an increasing number of four-day week changes and trials other flexible working systems across the world. Australia, Japan, the UK, Canada, Ireland, the US and Iceland are just some of the nations that have been experimenting with reduced working hours. One of the common ways that companies implement a four-day week is by using the 100:80:100 model, in which staff keep 100 per cent of their pay but have their work hours reduced to 80 per cent. However, they must maintain 100 per cent of their productivity in order for the change to work. Other options include allowing staff to work a shorter week but for less pay, or offering standard 40 hour weeks condensed over four days. In April, amended laws were introduced in Japan requiring companies to offer flexible work options for employees with young children, such as reduced working hours or remote work, in a bid to reverse the country's rapidly declining birthrate. As a result, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, one of the country's largest employers with over 160,000 workers, announced it would be introducing a four-day work week. 'We will continue to review work styles flexibly to ensure that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to life events such as childbirth or child-rearing,' Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, said at the time of the announcement. 'Empowering women, a goal that has lagged far behind the rest of the world, has been a longstanding issue in our country'. Earlier this year, it was announced that 200 companies across the United Kingdom, comprising a total of more than 5000 employees, had now changed their policies to allow staff to work four days a week, with the same pay and no requirement for longer working days. The shortened week movement has also been gaining traction in Australia. In the past few years there has been a sharp rise in companies adopting the new working model, with Medibank and Bunnings among the major Aussie brands that have begun trialling the change. Speaking to earlier this year, Swinburne's Associate Professor John Hopkins believes that this is a trend we can expect to see continue to rise throughout 2025, both here and overseas. 'Many companies who have tried it have experienced some great results – significant improvements in recruitment and retention, lower absenteeism, and even increased productivity – which will no doubt encourage other firms to try it and see if they can achieve similar gains,' he said. This is also backed up by data, with recent research from recruiter Robert Half revealing just over a third of Australian companies surveyed expect their organisation will transition to a four-day work week within the next five years.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Edinburgh council to look into giving workers four-day week
City of Edinburgh Council is to look into the possibilty of introducing a four day week for its employees. Councillors voted for a motion put forward by Claire Miller, who said the move could provide a new way to help with staffing and morale. The Scottish Green councillor told a full council meeting it would help fill empty roles and aid with poor health. Several councils in the UK have expressed interest in testing a four-day work week, with South Cambridgeshire District Council being the first to trial it. Officers will now prepare a report for the city council's finance and resources committee with information and data on recruitment, retention, productivity and health of workers. It will also explore the evidence from reduced or four-day week pilots, trials, and permanent models in relevant Miller said: "The four day week is a policy where our services remain as they are and there are no changes as far as the residents are concerned in terms of the opening hours provided to them."Studies into a four day week show productivity remains the same or in some cases can actually improve, and a great proportion of the working week is given back to people for their own responsibilities for rest and for leisure."A four day week is that rare unicorn policy, one where we can help our budgets but we would also be providing genuine benefits for our workers and through them to our residents." Scottish Conservative councillor Christopher Cowdy warned that the report needed to be "balanced and grounded". He said the council should be cautious in their interpretation from limited trials such as a Cambridgeshire pilot, and that Edinburgh residents should also be consulted.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Could a four day work week be way of the future?
Elite online private school, Crimson Global Academy has trialled a four day week for all its online students in Term One. A survey of students and teachers has showed strong support for it, ditching the classroom on Day Five, so they are sticking with it. About 85 percent of students said they were able to stay on top of the work and about same percentage of teachers expressed optimism for the the long term benefits. Crimson Global Academy's Deputy Principal Ronan Kearney spoke to Lisa Owen. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
