UK Companies Pilot Four-Day Working Week - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th June, 2022) Dozens of UK companies have begun testing a four-day workweek with no pay cuts for employees, UK media reported on Monday.

The six-month experiment involves several dozens of companies from all sorts of industries, including banking, hospitality, and even animation studios, Sky news reported. More than 3,000 employees will continue to receive full wages and be expected to maintain maximum productivity, the broadcaster said.

The experiment is a result of a collaboration between its organizers at non-profits 4 Day Week Global and 4 Day Week UK with the Autonomy think tank, as well as researchers from universities who will assess the impact of such changes on the productivity and well-being of employees and gender equality.

"The four-day week is generally considered to be a triple dividend policy - helping employees, companies, and the climate. Our research efforts will be digging into all of this," Juliet Schor, a professor of sociology at Boston College and the lead researcher on the pilot, was quoted as saying.

In addition to Boston College, the academic wing of the project includes the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.