NICHE FEATURE
Will we have a 4-day working week? RUBY RAI, SENIOR ASSOCIATE
The traditional model of the five-day working week is being challenged. But why now and will it benefit employers and employees in the UK? Ruby Rai, Senior Associate at Pattersons Commercial Law examines the future possibilities
T
here can be no debate that the way we work has fundamentally changed. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the idea of a regular structure of working from home, fully remote working, and flexible arrangements was more of a concept than a practice. Most employers now adopt a hybrid way of working, which involves time in the office as well as home working and has largely been adopted by most businesses in the UK. Work-life balance continues to be at the forefront since the pandemic and, since it has been addressed, has shown to increase productivity and employee satisfaction. Employers and employees are challenging traditional working practices and people are now questioning why we started the five-day working week in the first place.
The history of the five-day system
The industrial revolution, faith and workers’ rights in the 19th century effectively created what we now know as the weekend. Factories implemented a twoday weekend. In America, this
was practised by the legendary car maker Henry Ford in 1926, and the USA officially adopted the five-day system in 1932. In the UK, the Boots corporation closed their new factory in Nottingham on Saturdays and Sundays in 1933 and kept the same number of workers on the same pay. The reduced hours meant there was less chance of surplus stock and Boots had a workforce that was refreshed on Monday mornings after having time for leisure and family activities. The weekend was therefore made official Boots policy in 1934. Another by-product of giving workers time off was the opportunity to spend their down time buying consumer products, which kept cash circulating through the economy. The push towards a four-day working week has been bubbling since the 1960s. However, the challenge is understanding how to harmonise this with employers’ need, to protect business output and requirements.
What a four-day week looks like
The four-day working week is currently being trialled over the
THE CHALLENGE IS UNDERSTANDING HOW TO HARMONISE THIS WITH EMPLOYERS’ NEED TO PROTECT BUSINESS OUTPUT AND REQUIREMENTS
next six months in the UK. The 4 Day Week pilot programme is coordinated by the 4 Day Week Campaign and researchers at Cambridge University, Boston College and Oxford University. Researchers will be considering wellbeing, impact on the environment, and gender equality. The trial began in January 2022 with more than 30 UK companies taking part. Their employees will be paid the same amount for four days as they would for working their usual five days. Countries like Japan and Iceland have already taken part in trials and have seen the benefits of reducing the working week and protecting employees from burnout. Time will tell if the benefits that other countries have seen by this move will be the same for the UK. But what we know already, is that whatever the circumstances, employers and employees that work together create change. If you need help navigating these changes, you can contact Ruby by emailing ruby@ pattersonscommerciallaw.com or call 0116 319 1110. NICHE | 31
