4-Day Work-Week UK Pilot Due in Tech Land by Early Summer
Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
A four-day working week pilot programme is being squarely aimed at the UK tech sector with the final results to be assessed by academics.
The post-pandemic world of work has changed, with many employees demanding more flexibility in their labor location and the hours they put in, amid a tension that many corporations would prefer to revert back to more traditional styles.
With this in mind, consultancy 4 Day Week Foundation is urging tech businesses of all shapes and sizes to sign up to a six-month trial from June 30, starting with a six-week workshop and training that begins May 22.
"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 consultant.
"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," he added. "The 9-5, 5 day working week was invented 100 years ago and no longer suits the realities of modern life."
The idea is simple, cram the normal working week into four days instead of five, with no loss of pay for the employee.
[...] Prior to the pandemic, Microsoft tested out the four-day-week at its offices in Japan, giving its entire local workforce Fridays off without impact to pay. This initiative, Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019, led to more efficient meetings, a happier workers and a reported 40 percent hike in productivity, according to Microsoft.
"Work a short time, rest well and learn a lot," Microsoft Japan president and CEO Takuya Hirano said at the time. "I want employees to think about and experience how they can achieve the same results with 20 percent less working time."
Overheads plunged too: electricity use in the office was down - disproportionately - by 23 percent - and 59 percent fewer pages were printed. This was in addition to 92 percent of staff saying they enjoyed a shorter working week.
However, tycoons at the Redmond-based cloud and software biz have so far not replicated the initiative elsewhere. Microsoft does run a hybrid work policy, however, allowing staff to work remotely and from the office for a number of days a week.
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