A four-day week? Soon, we may not work at all
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

A four-day week? Soon, we may not work at all

The Independent  

The world of work is in a state of flux. JP Morgan is ordering its staff back into the office five days a week, resulting in a hunt for extra space to accommodate the 14,000 desks needed at its London Canary Wharf headquarters. The mayor of Greater Manchester argues it could serve as an antidote to technology’s onslaught and, by improving people’s lives, could save the government money by reducing social harm. That’s where UBI comes in and says “To hell with it, here’s some cash to help compensate for the lot – you no longer need to work.” But what should be its value? All the folk who gather at events such as Emmanuel Macron’s AI fest, with their smart software and algorithms, and like to forecast yesterday what will occur tomorrow, are nowhere near agreement.

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History of this topic

To all those Labour MPs calling for a four-day week – whatever happened to growth?
1 month, 1 week ago

To all those Labour MPs calling for a four-day week – whatever happened to growth?

The Independent  

If a four-day week is such a good idea, it will happen, because employers will adopt it. The amendment’s sponsors would be better off sticking to the argument that a four-day week would make us better off, but unless they genuinely believe that it is a magic productivity-enhancer that 99 per cent of Britain’s employers have somehow overlooked, they look …

Labour rebels push for four-day week in employment rights drive
1 month, 1 week ago

Labour rebels push for four-day week in employment rights drive

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A group of Labour rebels are pushing for Angela Rayner to …

Indonesian ministry launches four-day work week after successful pilot
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Indonesian ministry launches four-day work week after successful pilot

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An Indonesian ministry has implemented …

Forget 90-hour workweek, 200 companies are moving to permanent four-day week
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Forget 90-hour workweek, 200 companies are moving to permanent four-day week

Live Mint  

Even as there is continuous debate about long working hours in India, especially after comments about 90-hour and 70-hour workweeks from industry leaders, there is some cheer for employees in the UK. According to a report in The Guardian, at least 200 firms in the United Kingdom have signed up to implement a permanent four-day working week for all their …

‘We’re never going back,’ say companies that have switched to four-day week
1 month, 3 weeks ago

‘We’re never going back,’ say companies that have switched to four-day week

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Companies that have switched to …

Two hundred UK companies sign up for permanent four-day work week
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Two hundred UK companies sign up for permanent four-day work week

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Two hundred companies in the UK have permanently adopted a …

Four-day working week adopted by more than 200 UK companies
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Four-day working week adopted by more than 200 UK companies

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy More than 200 UK companies …

200 U.K. companies have opted for a four-day workweek, latest data shows
1 month, 3 weeks ago

200 U.K. companies have opted for a four-day workweek, latest data shows

NPR  

200 U.K. companies have opted for a four-day workweek, latest data shows toggle caption Ben Stansall/Getty Images The four-day workweek continues to capture interest in the U.K., with 200 companies now adopting the practice, according to the latest data from the 4 Day Week Foundation. 3 things to know The companies employ more than 5,000 workers between them, and received …

We should be looking forward to a 90-hour work schedule—per month
2 months, 1 week ago

We should be looking forward to a 90-hour work schedule—per month

Live Mint  

Is Thursday becoming the new Friday in Britain? In his 1930 article, ‘Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren,’ John Maynard Keynes made some fascinating forecasts concerning social life and economic conditions one hundred years later, or around 2030. Following in the footsteps of many eminent intellectuals, Keynes has forecast a century of enormous income growth and an unparalleled period of leisure …

ANDREW NEIL: The four-day week is a culture based on folly and built on fantasy. If Labour backs it, it will be the ruin of us
2 months, 1 week ago

ANDREW NEIL: The four-day week is a culture based on folly and built on fantasy. If Labour backs it, it will be the ruin of us

Daily Mail  

There’s a head of steam building up for a four-day working week, backed by various ‘progressive’ pressure groups and think-tanks, Leftish local councils, much of the Labour Party and, naturally, public-sector trade unions, enjoying a new lease of life under an indulgent Labour government. At a time when Britain’s fundamental economic weakness is low productivity, which is impeding economic growth …

Four-day work week: An idea whose time is all but sure to come
3 months, 1 week ago

Four-day work week: An idea whose time is all but sure to come

Live Mint  

In the old days, when a formal job usually meant a sarkari one, work flexibility meant something else. This week, the administration of Tokyo said that from April next year, it would give its staff the option of a four-day work week, with a full three days off. “We will review work styles," said the city’s governor Yuriko Koike, “with …

Law firm says staff are fitter, happier, more productive after switch to four-day week
4 months ago

Law firm says staff are fitter, happier, more productive after switch to four-day week

ABC  

As the founder and director of a law firm, Jim Cosgriff is no stranger to long hours spent toiling in the office. Happier, more productive employees The business in Echuca trialled a four-day work week where staff worked 34 hours across four days but were paid for a full 38-hour, five-day week for about six months last year. The women …

Angela Rayner opens door to four-day working week in local councils
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Angela Rayner opens door to four-day working week in local councils

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The government is no longer objecting to a local council’s four-day working week policy Conservative …

Four-day working week under Labour: How it could work and who is supporting it
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Four-day working week under Labour: How it could work and who is supporting it

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But, speaking to LBC, she added that flexible working was …

Fury as staff in Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government overseen by Angela Rayner demand a four-day week
5 months ago

Fury as staff in Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government overseen by Angela Rayner demand a four-day week

Daily Mail  

Staff in Angela Rayner's department are demanding the right to work four days a week with no loss of pay. Staff in Angela Rayner 's department are demanding the right to work four days a week with no loss of pay More than 500 civil servants in her Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have signed a petition calling …

Four-day working week will not be imposed on employers, says Government
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Four-day working week will not be imposed on employers, says Government

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A minister has warned four-day …

There’s nothing to fear from the four day week – and employers know it
6 months, 3 weeks ago

There’s nothing to fear from the four day week – and employers know it

The Independent  

Opponents of the government’s proposals for a four-day week – part of its “Make Work Pay” initiative, which will be unveiled in Parliament this autumn – have been busy conjuring up images of France. First of all, it’s worth pointing out that the government has flatly denied any plans to impose plans for a four-day week upon employers – or …

Ministers have ‘no plans’ to force businesses to accept four-day week demands
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Ministers have ‘no plans’ to force businesses to accept four-day week demands

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Government has “no plans” …

Four-day week can boost productivity, Labour insists
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Four-day week can boost productivity, Labour insists

The Telegraph  

A four-day week can boost productivity, a Labour minister has insisted after a business backlash over the proposals. Baroness Smith, the education minister, said allowing employees to work a week’s worth of hours in four days rather than five could help parents get back into work. Lady Smith, a minister in the New Labour years who returned to the frontbench …

Independent readers divided over the four-day working week
7 months ago

Independent readers divided over the four-day working week

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Here’s what you had to say: ‘There’s more to life …

Would you support a four-day working week? Join The Independent Debate
7 months ago

Would you support a four-day working week? Join The Independent Debate

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Campaigners are preparing to launch a fresh pilot for a four-day …

Four-day working weeks make us happier and more productive – here’s why they won’t happen any time soon
8 months, 1 week ago

Four-day working weeks make us happier and more productive – here’s why they won’t happen any time soon

The Independent  

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about …

A four-day work week won't be on the horizon for decades
11 months, 1 week ago

A four-day work week won't be on the horizon for decades

Live Mint  

Billionaires and Senator Bernie Sanders agree on at least one thing: They see a four-day work week in America’s future. Some big technological innovations promise to make people more productive, but a four-day work week will not be the norm anytime soon. The Sanders bill also stipulates that employers can’t reduce pay if people work fewer hours as a result, …

Experts reveal why a four day working week may make Americans' mental health WORSE..as Sen. Bernie Sanders pushes bill
1 year ago

Experts reveal why a four day working week may make Americans' mental health WORSE..as Sen. Bernie Sanders pushes bill

Daily Mail  

But experts say that might just make workers cram more work into less time It seems like a policy with obvious mental health benefits. Experts have told DailyMail.com that there are several reasons why a four day working week could spell problems for the nations' mental health. A series of recent studies have suggested that extra stress and burnout could …

Year after UK's 4-day work week trial, 89% say they are continuing
1 year ago

Year after UK's 4-day work week trial, 89% say they are continuing

India Today  

A year has passed since the groundbreaking trial of a four-day working week swept the UK, and the results are in: the vast majority of companies involved have opted to stick with the reduced schedule. Positive impact : All managers and CEOs surveyed reported a 'positive' or 'very positive' impact of the four-day week, with 82% witnessing improved staff well-being, …

Asda introduces four-day working week trial as threatened strike postponed
1 year, 2 months ago

Asda introduces four-day working week trial as threatened strike postponed

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The household supermarket name Asda is the latest business to …

This police department is piloting a four-day work week
1 year, 2 months ago

This police department is piloting a four-day work week

CNN  

CNN — In his 23 years with the Golden, Colorado, police department, a shorter workday — or work week — was never something Commander Marcus Williams thought about. “We really talked through that during those public meetings to explain that we’re not expecting people to work less, we’re asking them to work fewer hours but we’re asking them to get …

Four-day week council reports improvements amid Government pressure
1 year, 4 months ago

Four-day week council reports improvements amid Government pressure

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A council under fire from the Government for piloting a …

Why a 4-day workweek is on the table for autoworkers
1 year, 6 months ago

Why a 4-day workweek is on the table for autoworkers

NPR  

Why a 4-day workweek is on the table for autoworkers Enlarge this image toggle caption Jim Young/AFP via Getty Images Jim Young/AFP via Getty Images What if you could work just four days a week but get paid for five? Sponsor Message But Fain's push — alongside other "audacious demands" the UAW has laid on the table — is noteworthy …

US Workers Want 4-Day WorkWeeks But Only With The Choice To Work Remotely: Survey
1 year, 7 months ago

US Workers Want 4-Day WorkWeeks But Only With The Choice To Work Remotely: Survey

ABP News  

Workers and bosses in the US are not apprehensive about a four-day workweek, a survey claims. The survey states about 87 per cent of respondents expressed interest in a four-day workweek, while 82 per cent of the respondents agreed that widespread adoption of the same across the US will be successful. About 75 per cent of respondents noted that they …

Australian companies that trialled four-day work week haven't looked back, report finds
1 year, 9 months ago

Australian companies that trialled four-day work week haven't looked back, report finds

ABC  

A report into emerging four-day work week trends in Australia has found companies that trialled the model experienced overwhelming success. Key points: Ten Australian businesses who were trialling four-day work weeks took part in the study All of the companies have continued with a four-day week, with four companies adopting the change permanently and the other six extending the trial …

Opinion: Can a four-day workweek really work? Many companies have already learned the answer
1 year, 9 months ago

Opinion: Can a four-day workweek really work? Many companies have already learned the answer

LA Times  

In 1940, Congress amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to limit the standard workweek to 40 hours, with any additional hours eligible for overtime. In Europe, national and regional governments have pilot four-day week programs in progress, and the United Arab Emirates has shifted public-sector employees to a 4 ½-day schedule. Dr. Adam Husney, the chief executive of the health …

Is the four-day week the future of work?
1 year, 9 months ago

Is the four-day week the future of work?

Al Jazeera  

Trials have shown that more flexible work hours benefit employees and companies. It’s possible to work fewer hours and keep the same level of pay and productivity, according to results of the largest-ever trial of a four-day workweek held in the United Kingdom. Traditional work routines were upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, and there’s increased demand for more flexible schedules. …

Will a four-day week get workers back?
1 year, 9 months ago

Will a four-day week get workers back?

BBC  

Will the four-day workweek get employees back in office? Yet, since beginning a four-day week in June 2022, Tyler Grange’s 100 workers with offices across six UK offices choose to work in person more often. Collaboration is often harder working from home – producing the amount of work required in a four-day week would be really difficult.” Crucially, says Ursell, …

Is a four-day workweek as good as it sounds? California employees share what it’s really like
1 year, 10 months ago

Is a four-day workweek as good as it sounds? California employees share what it’s really like

LA Times  

It’s after noon on a recent Wednesday, and the kitchen and patio at ThredUp’s Oakland headquarters are packed. “I think we’re going to see more interest in this from the policy side, as well as from employers that are looking for ways to keep workers, to attract new workers and to keep their workers healthier.” The snacks are free, but …

Britons expect four-day week to be ‘the norm’ by 2030, new poll shows
1 year, 10 months ago

Britons expect four-day week to be ‘the norm’ by 2030, new poll shows

The Independent  

A majority of British people expect a four-day week to be the norm in workplaces by 2030, new polling has found. Some 65 per cent of people said they would support the government “exploring the introduction of a four-day working week, with no loss of pay for workers”, with just 10 per cent opposed to the idea. “We have no …

The four-day week seems impossible — an employee's dream. So why is it working?
2 years ago

The four-day week seems impossible — an employee's dream. So why is it working?

ABC  

When Liz Indrans found out her work was going to a four-day week model, she was torn. Key points: A UK trial paid workers 100 per cent of their wage for 80 per cent of the hours More than 61 businesses took part, with 56 continuing with the pattern of work A Senate report has called on Australian governments to …

4-day week: 'Too short-staffed to work'
2 years ago

4-day week: 'Too short-staffed to work'

BBC  

Four-day workweek trial: The firms where it didn’t work Getty Images Nearly all firms that took part in the UK pilot are keeping reduced hours – but not all are fully embracing the new set-up. Getty Images Many businesses need to operate five days per week, which means it's harder to reduce staff days, or they need to hire extra …

Four-day work week is simply ‘more productive’
2 years ago

Four-day work week is simply ‘more productive’

Live Mint  

One of the world’s biggest trials of a four-day working week has shown that a shorter schedule helps employees and companies stay more productive. “In terms of employees, their mental health improved, they got better sleep, they got less burnt out,” Cambridge University’s Professor Brendan Burchell told AFP. “And we got lots of very happy people—people really enjoyed it; they …

Sorry, Calvinists: A four-day workweek actually makes employees healthier, more productive
2 years, 1 month ago

Sorry, Calvinists: A four-day workweek actually makes employees healthier, more productive

Salon  

Ever since German sociologist Max Weber penned his classic 1905 book "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism," the Western World has accepted that Calvinist-influenced societies tend to associate hard work with both virtue and material success. "There's a wealth of evidence that individual health suffers with long hours, and is improved with shortened hours, though it depends on …

4-Day Week Trial in UK: What 'Largest Study' Says on Productivity, Work Stress
2 years, 1 month ago

4-Day Week Trial in UK: What 'Largest Study' Says on Productivity, Work Stress

The Quint  

Largest study of its kind: The study involved 2,900 workers from 61 companies across industries in the UK. What the study found: Compared to before the trials, of all the participants that were interviewed, 71 percent reported less burnout 39 percent reported less stress 48 percent found their job more satisfying 62 percent said they had better work and social …

World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back
2 years, 1 month ago

World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back

Live Mint  

The largest-ever trial of the four-day work week found that most UK companies participating are not returning to the five-day standard, and a third are ready to make that change permanent. Most companies adopted four-day schedules, although a small percentage opted for shorter five-day arrangements or, in the case of seasonal businesses like restaurants, an annualized four-day week model in …

Four-day week liked by UK employers in world's largest trial
2 years, 1 month ago

Four-day week liked by UK employers in world's largest trial

India Today  

Dozens of British employers trialling a four-day working week have mostly decided to stick with it after a pilot hailed as a breakthrough by campaigners for better work-life balance. READ | 100 British companies to move to a permanent 4-day working week The Autonomy trial covered 2,900 staff in total across different sectors, ranging from finance company Stellar Asset Management …

4-day workweek trial: Shorter hours, happier employees
2 years, 1 month ago

4-day workweek trial: Shorter hours, happier employees

Associated Press  

LONDON — Work less, get more. A trial of a four-day workweek in Britain, billed as the world’s largest, has found that an overwhelming majority of the 61 companies that participated from June to December will keep going with the shorter hours and that most employees were less stressed and had better work-life balance. “We feel really encouraged by the …

Most companies see mental health benefits and profits increase in four-day week trial
2 years, 1 month ago

Most companies see mental health benefits and profits increase in four-day week trial

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The world’s biggest trial of a four-day working week has …

Four-day working week really DOES work, major six-month trial across 61 UK companies reveals
2 years, 1 month ago

Four-day working week really DOES work, major six-month trial across 61 UK companies reveals

Daily Mail  

Bosses even benefitted from increased revenue while productivity was constant The results we've all been waiting for are finally in - a four-day working week really does work, according to a major new study. A four-day working week results in reducing the number of staff quitting their jobs and taking sick days, a new study has found Change in participating …

We're talking about the 4-day workweek — again. Is it a mirage or reality?
2 years, 1 month ago

We're talking about the 4-day workweek — again. Is it a mirage or reality?

NPR  

We're talking about the 4-day workweek — again. Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Welcome to a new NPR series where we spotlight the people and things making headlines — and the stories behind them. A 2022 Ernst & Young study into the "future of work" surveyed more than 500 U.S. C-suite and business leaders …

Four-day workweek trial in UK: Shorter hours, happier employees
2 years, 1 month ago

Four-day workweek trial in UK: Shorter hours, happier employees

Al Jazeera  

Findings show companies’ reported revenue largely stayed the same, or even rose, over the June to December trial period. That was all while revenue reported by the participating companies largely stayed the same over the June to December trial period and even grew compared with the same six months a year earlier, according to the findings released this week. “We …

Dozens of U.K. companies will keep the 4-day workweek after a pilot program ends
2 years, 1 month ago

Dozens of U.K. companies will keep the 4-day workweek after a pilot program ends

NPR  

Dozens of U.K. companies will keep the 4-day workweek after a pilot program ends Enlarge this image toggle caption Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images Is it finally time for the four-day workweek? Sponsor Message "We feel really encouraged by the results, which showed the many ways companies were turning the four-day week from a dream …

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