Why is everyone talking about… the right to a four-day week?

Fancy a three-day weekend, every weekend? The new Labour government is currently discussing plans to offer this to UK employees on a ‘right to ask’ basis.

But there’s a catch — you’ll still need to fulfil your regular hours, for example by working ten-hour days instead (if you usually work eight-hour days). The Department of Business and Trade has said it will release more detailed plans within the next 100 days.

Joe Ryle, director of the Four Day Week campaign has pointed out that ideally a shortened work week needs to involve reduced, rather than compressed working hours to fully improve work-life balance for employees or increase productivity for businesses.

“These plans can be referred to as a ‘four-day week’ but this could be clouding the understanding of two positive but ultimately, different strategies”, explains Mark Turner, Senior Consultant at Curium Solutions.

“This is all about compressed hours. You work your contracted time over fewer days to create benefits such as more days at home with family, reduced childcare costs and less commuting, creating environmental and financial benefits.”

He adds: “So long as you can physically and mentally cope with the longer days when you are working and the business can operationally coordinate the days when people no longer work, this may work well[…] At its core, employees are asked to deliver 100% of their five-day week productivity, in 80% of the time, whilst receiving 100% of their salary.”

Whether through compressed or reduced working hours, requests for a four-day workweek is likely something that will soon come your way as a HR leader. Here are some key things to decide ahead of that happening:

• Consider what changes need to be made: How will you keep your customer service available on days with fewer staff working? How will you try to accommodate those who work in shifts?

• Identify departments where this will be difficult: Chat to managers about specific concerns for how their teams operate and work with them to find solutions (e.g. is it a case where not everyone can take Friday off?)

• Audit which processes or tools need to be updated: How will you track and document who will be moving to a four-day week (and for which days of the week), both for HR and other employees?

• How can you help employees find better work-life balance?

• How is the four day week trial in the UK working?

• Understanding employee benefits in the UK

That's all for this week's edition of Personio Pulse: This Week in HR. Check back next week as we continue to dissect the latest trends impacting the ways we work. 

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