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SINCE April 2024, workers have had the right to ask for flexible work, but firms do not have to agree.

However, over 190 companies already offer a four day working week with full pay as standard.

Exactly 195 companies are now considered accredited 4 Day Week employers
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Exactly 195 companies are now considered accredited 4 Day Week employersCredit: Getty

Back in February 2023, 18 UK companies made the change permanent following the world's biggest trial of four-day working.

However, that number has now ballooned to 195 and comes ahead of a huge worker's rights shake-up, which will allow most employees to demand a four day working week.

The original pilot, co-ordinated by 4 Day Week Global saw 61 companies across a variety of sectors in the UK commit to reducing their working hours for all staff by 20%, for six months from June 2022.

Most firms chose to give all their staff Fridays off, while some said they could take Monday or Friday, and others opted for no common day off among staff.

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The results revealed a significant drop in the rates of stress and illness among the around 2,900 staff trying the shorter working week.

They also found that company revenue increased slightly by 1.4% on average over the trial period and by a much higher 35% when compared to the same six-month period in 2021.

However, several staff at one large company reported concerns about increasing workloads, finding their work intensified or they were battling to work through lengthy to-do lists in the time available.

The results also revealed that some managers and staff felt the focus on efficiency had made the workplace less sociable, which was a particular concern for the creative companies involved.

However, other benefits for employers include reduced sickness absences, and lower staff turnover, slashing recruitment costs.

It also attracted talented candidates who want a better work-life balance.

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Which employers took part in the original trial?

THERE were around 61 companies and organisations in the pilot but only 46 have agreed to be named publicly.

They included:

  • 24/Three Consultants
  • 5 Squirrels
  • Adzooma
  • AKA Case Management
  • Amplitude Media Limited
  • Ascendancy
  • Bedrock Learning Ltd
  • Bookishly
  • Boom! Studios
  • Charity Bank
  • Citizens Advice Gateshead
  • Clarkson and Woods Limited
  • Debt Justice
  • Everledger
  • Evolution Money
  • Flatpack
  • Furness Insurance Services
  • Frame 25
  • Helping Hands
  • Hutch
  • Kingston First
  • Knights Absorb
  • Literal Humans
  • Loudmouth Media
  • Merthyr Valley Homes
  • Mox London
  • Outcomes Based Healthcare
  • Outcomes First Group
  • Plattens Fish and Chips
  • Pressure Drop Brewing
  • Rivelin Robotics
  • Royal Society of Biology
  • Scotland's International Development Alliance
  • Sensat
  • SideQuest Ltd
  • Sounds Like These
  • Stellar Asset Management
  • Stemettes
  • TBL Services
  • The Story Mob
  • Trio Media
  • Tyler Grange
  • Unity
  • Waterwise
  • We Are Purposeful

Which companies offer a four day week to all staff?

Exactly 195 companies are now considered accredited 4 Day Week employers.

Here's a full list of the firms offering a four day week on full pay to all:

  • 3D Issue - printing software firm in Donegal
  • 448 Studio - social and digital media consultancy
  • 5 Squirrels Ltd - cosmetics and skincare company
  • 64 Million Artists - not-for-profit
  • 92 Minutes - communications consultancy
  • AKA Case Management - healthcare
  • AWO - a law firm and consultancy
  • Accurise Ltd - hospitality accountancy
  • Acuity Solutions - fintech company
  • Advantage Business Partnerships - hybrid working tools
  • Advice Cloud - technology procurement experts
  • Advice Direct Scotland - non-profit in Glasgow
  • Agricultural Recruitment Specialists - recruitment
  • Amity Communication Actions CIC
  • Andy Matthews Studio - architecture studio
  • Arts Marketing Association - membership firm
  • Ascendancy - digital agency
  • Atlas Translations - translation agency
  • Atom Bank - finance firm in Durham
  • Autonomy - think tank researching the future of work
  • Awin - consultancy firm
  • BJP Consulting Group Ltd - engineering consultancy
  • Bake Consultants - ecological and ecoacoustic consultancy
  • Barefoot Architects - RIBA chartered practice
  • Barking and Dagenham Giving
  • Bedrock Learning - pedagogical technology
  • BiBO - social enterprise
  • Big Potato Games - board games maker in East London
  • Bimble Solar - renewable energy
  • Blink - Norwich e-commerce firm
  • Bookishly - literary-inspired gifts
  • BrandPipe - software and process engineering
  • Brett Nicholls Associates - accounting and consultancy
  • British Society for Rheumatology - healthcare
  • Brook - charity
  • Butcher Bayley Architects
  • CMG Technologies - 3D metal moulding firm
  • Camlas - public affairs
  • Causeway Irish Housing Association - non-profit
  • Centre for Local Economic Strategies
  • Centre for Thriving Places Ltd - not-for-profit
  • Charity Bank
  • Citizens Advice Gateshead
  • City to Sea - an environmental organisation
  • Civo - cloud provider
  • Coltech Global - tech consultancy
  • Common Knowledge - not-for-profit
  • Cooked Illustrations - communications studio
  • Counting King Limited - tax and funding consultancy
  • Crystallised - marketing agency
  • DataLase - photonic printing
  • DigiLab - digital analytics
  • Digital Guerrilla Consultancy
  • ESG Gaming - not-for-profit
  • Earth Science Partnership - research group
  • Elektra Lighting - lighting consultants
  • Element Four - environmental consultancy
  • Escape the City
  • Esteem Training - construction
  • Evolved - online marketing specialists
  • Flocc - marketing agency
  • FMC Talent - recruitment
  • Formedix - clinical trial software
  • Fortem People - recruitment
  • Forward Carers - not-for-profit
  • Forward Spaces - workspace for start-ups
  • Four Day Week Ltd - jobs site
  • Furness Insurance Services
  • Future Economy Scotland - think tank
  • Geeks For Social Change - software developers
  • Giant Digital - agency
  • Girling Jones - recruitment
  • Global Partners Digital
  • Good Ancestor Movement - wealth advisory
  • Gracefruit - Glasgow cosmetics firm
  • Greenpost - recruitment
  • Gungo Marketing
  • Happy
  • Hearfocus - healthcare
  • Hello Heat Pumps - heating specialists
  • Hello Stirling - media planning
  • Highfield Professional Solutions - technical engineering
  • Hutch Games - game developer
  • Independent Food Aid Network - food aid
  • Infigo - e-commerce software
  • Intercultural Youth Scotland
  • Interlink
  • JMK Solicitors
  • Jerba Campavans - campervan conversions
  • Kairos Women+
  • Kinfolk Network CIC
  • LEaF Translations - translation services
  • LIT Communication
  • LUX - food and drink agency
  • Legacy Events - events management
  • Lemongrass Marketing Ltd
  • Literal Humans
  • LoveGunn - branding agency
  • MATS Consultancy
  • MRL - recruitment
  • Maggie Chapman MSP
  • Marketing Signals - marketing agency
  • Melville Housing Association
  • Middle Child Theatre
  • Middleton Co-operating
  • Mox
  • Muckle Media - public relations
  • Mutual - web design and development
  • MycoPunks - mushroom cultivation
  • NEON - not-for-profit
  • Native Ecology - ecology consultancy
  • Neonhive - public relations
  • New Vision Digital Marketing
  • Noteworthy Support Limited
  • Opportunity Green - charity
  • Oriel Square - content publishing and strategy
  • Original Consultants Ltd
  • PR Dispatch - public relations
  • PTHR - consultancy
  • Pale Fox Esports - gaming
  • Paul David Smith Photography
  • Peak PEO - payroll
  • Pollard Media - digital marketing
  • Pool
  • Portcullis Legals - estate planning law firm
  • Porteris - tech
  • Pressure Drop - brewing
  • Principles Agency - marketing
  • Punch Creative - digital marketing agency
  • PureFluent - tech and translation service
  • Quality of Life Foundation - charity
  • Reboot - SEO agency
  • Red Giraffe - digital agency
  • Resilience Brokers - climate finance
  • Reward Agency - marketing agency
  • Richard John Andrews Ltd - architecture
  • SEOMG! - SEO
  • SOS
  • STC Expeditions - travel company
  • Stop Aids - HIV charity
  • Safer Fostering - not-for-profit
  • Scotland's International Development Alliance
  • Scottish Community Safety Network - charity
  • Scottish Greens
  • Secure Digital Exchange Limited - communications consultancy
  • Sensat - infrastructure
  • Shout Loud Social - digital marketing
  • Sidequest - VR content
  • Sinister Fish Games - board game maker
  • Social Enterprise Direct - finance firm
  • Social for Good - social media
  • Softer Success - consultancy and training provider
  • Sounds Like These - audio company
  • Split Banana - education
  • Stagecast - video production company
  • StreamGo - events platform
  • Synergy Vision - medical communications agency
  • T-Cup Studios - consultancy
  • TBL Services Ltd - consultancy
  • Tailored Thinking - HR consultancy
  • Talewind - content creator
  • Target Composites Ltd - bike manufacturing company
  • Target Publishing - publisher
  • Team Custard Kraken - indie board game designer
  • Technovent - high-tech medical services supplier
  • The Agile Communications Agency - communications
  • The Beacon - public relations
  • The Circle - hub for charities and non-profits
  • The UPAC Group - packing firm
  • The Young Women's Movement
  • Think Productive
  • This Is Beyond - creative events company
  • Thryve - tech consultancy
  • Time Appointments - recruitment
  • Tribera - content agency
  • Trigger - digital events
  • Tyler Grange Group Ltd - environmental consultancy
  • Uniqodo - promotion experience platform
  • Vault City Brewing - craft brewery
  • Venture Stream - marketing agency
  • Vetro Recruitment - recruitment
  • Villainous Games Studio
  • Waterwise
  • We Are Purposeful - feminist hub
  • Wellbeing Economy Alliance
  • Whering - digital wardrobe and styling app
  • Whyfield - accountancy firm
  • Women's Budget Group - think tank
  • Woven Ink Studio Limited - animation and creative studio
  • Xaso - digital marketing agency
  • Ynni Sir Gar - social enterprise
  • You HR Consultancy
  • Zettler - creative sector agency
  • Zync Digital - digital marketing agency

WORKERS RIGHTS CHANGES ON THE WAY

The government's UK Employment Rights Bill, introduced to Parliament on October 10, 2024, doesn't explicitly mandate or legislate for a four-day working week.

However, it contains provisions that are expected to significantly impact its adoption and implementation.

The key provision relevant to the four-day week is the Bill's focus on making flexible working the default.

Employees will have the right to request flexible working arrangements, including compressed hours, from their first day of employment.

This means employees could potentially request to work their full-time hours over four days instead of five.

While this doesn't guarantee a four-day week with reduced hours and maintained pay (as championed by the 4 Day Week Campaign), it does empower employees to initiate conversations about compressed hours and other flexible working models.

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However, it's important to note that employers retain the right to refuse flexible working requests if they deem them unreasonable based on specific criteria.

These criteria include factors such as added cost burden, detrimental effects on customer demand, inability to reorganise work among existing staff, and negative impacts on quality and performance.

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