Top tips: what could a four-day working week mean for your business?

The world’s largest trial of the four-day working week came to an end in February 2023. Out of the 61 companies in the six-month trial, more than 90% have decided to continue, with 18 making it permanent. The findings are being used to urge politicians to give all workers a 32-hour week.

In our recent webinar, Joe Ryle, Director of 4 Day Week Campaign and Rachel Hart, our People Consultant, answered your questions on the outcome of the trial as well as what the results meant for those who took part. They also discussed how a four-day week could work for different types of businesses in practical terms.

Top tips for a four-day work week

Improve productivity before making the switch

Are you having too many meetings? Are there some tasks which don’t really contribute to your organisation’s overall aims and goals? If you can streamline working practices and find ways to improve productivity before you make a change, the transition to a four-day week will be a lot smoother.

Utilise a trial

This ensures that a four-day week works for your business before making a permanent change. Three to six months is a good amount of time to trial a new approach, measuring success at regular intervals.

Remember there’s no one-size-fits-all approach

Consult with staff to get the right approach for your organisation. Workers know their jobs better than anyone and ideally should be involved in the process of designing any move to a four-day week.

Act legally and fairly

Any change of working hours, even temporary, is a change to employment contracts. You need to gain consent or consult with employees to propose or implement a change. Ensure that your approach is fair to all employees and that there are not groups of employees placed at a disadvantage, like employees already on a part-time contract.

Communicate

Communicate well to anyone affected by the change. Have clear guidance in place and communicate how the trial is going throughout. Remember, the four-day week is a relatively simple concept; one less day at work while trying to be more productive and effective on the days you are at work. How you achieve the reduction in hours is up to you.

How we can help

A project like this can be a big undertaking, so reach out to our people experts for help and advice if you are thinking about reducing hours in your organisation. You can also join the 4 Day Week National Rollout Programme – a programme designed to support organisations on their four-day week journey by providing online workshops with experts, regular troubleshooting events, guidance from organisations who have already adopted a four-day week and much more.