{"id":34594,"date":"2025-07-03T06:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T06:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/34594\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T06:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T06:25:10","slug":"new-four-day-working-week-trial-boasts-100-success-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/34594\/","title":{"rendered":"New four-day working week trial boasts 100% success rate"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cPeople are happier, businesses are thriving, and there\u2019s no turning back,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve proved it again and again: a four-day week works and should now be implemented more widely across the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some 62% of workers in the new trial registered a reduction in how often they experienced burnout, while 41% registered an improvement in their mental health<\/a>. Nearly half (45%) of participants registered feeling more satisfied with life.<\/p>\n

Bron Afon<\/a> housing association in South Wales \u2013 a not-for-profit social enterprise with more than 500 employees \u2013 is one of the organisations embracing the shift. Staff were offered flexibility in how they arranged their time off. Some took a set day each week, others alternated, and some banked hours for longer breaks. The approach proved popular, said CEO Alan Brunt.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt has improved the lives of many of our colleagues,\u201d Brunt said. \u201cIt has created capacity in their lives to spend more time with their children, look after their parents, and get involved in voluntary work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some have even taken the opportunity to further their education \u2013 one member of staff has started studying towards a master\u2019s degree, for example.<\/p>\n

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Brunt also credits the four-day week<\/a> with boosting workplace energy, while sickness rates have dropped.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve seen increased motivation and focus from colleagues who work four days rather than five,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The 40-hour, five day working week may currently been the norm \u2013\u00a0but it\u2019s highly historically specific. In 1870, industrial employees logged 60-90 hours a week, clocking in for up to 15 hours a day, six days a week.<\/p>\n

Work patterns have changed before, four-day working week proponents argue \u2013 and they could change again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe working week hadn\u2019t been reviewed in any serious way for a very long time,\u201d said Brunt. \u201cThis is the biggest opportunity in a generation to look again at how we work, and it\u2019s exciting to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a timely push. British workers are some of the most burnt out in Europe. More than 90% of adults in the UK have experienced \u201chigh or extreme levels of pressure or stress at some point in the past year\u201d, Mental Health UK<\/a> reported in 2024.<\/p>\n

As the momentum builds, the four-day week is moving steadily from the fringe to the mainstream ambition.<\/p>\n

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More than 200 companies across the UK have already adopted the model. Earlier this year, a national survey found that two-thirds of Brits believe the four-day working week will become standard practice within five years.<\/p>\n

Brunt agrees: \u201cI expect that most organisations will be doing this in the next 10 years or so,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Labour\u2019s<\/a> 2019 manifesto featured a promise to introduce a four-day working week \u2013 a commitment that was dropped from the party\u2019s 2024 policy platform. However, the new government has pledged to \u201cstrengthen workers\u2019 rights\u201d, and several senior cabinet ministers have previously voiced support for the concept.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can deliver within a four-day working week, then why not?\u201d said now\u2013deputy prime minister Angela Rayner at an event last year. \u201cI think people will realise it\u2019s a great idea if it suits their sector and boosts productivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this?\u00a0Get in touch and tell us more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t follow headlines. We lead with the truth.<\/strong>\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Every week, Big Issue digs deeper \u2013 telling stories others don\u2019t. We\u2019re free to be bold, to speak up for those society overlooks and to put people at the heart of everything.<\/p>\n

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