One hundred companies in the UK signed up to move to a four-day workweek, with no loss in pay, on a consistent basis, according to The Guardian.
The initiative is led by the 4 Day Week Campaign, a group that is advocating to bring all UK workers to “32 hour working week with no loss of pay which would benefit workers, employers, the economy, our society and our environment,” the group says on its website.
If people have more time, for example, they might be more likely to recycle or bike instead of driving.
“Together we can build a society where we work to live, rather than live to work,” the company says.
This group has also organized an enormous pilot program for more than 3,000 workers to test the four-day workweek with no pay cut (as opposed to adding an extra hour every day to employee workdays in exchange for one day off, or some such).
According to the outlet, a group of 100 businesses has decided to make it permanent.
Related: UK Rethinks Work: ‘The New Frontier For Competition is Quality of Life’
The idea is that with less time to work, people will actually be more productive, and mentally healthier overall. There are also interesting results coming out of the pilot program.
Awin, a marketing company that adopted the process, was firm about the impact it has had on the company and its employees.
Slicing the extra day has been “one of the most transformative initiatives we’ve seen in the history of the company,” Awin CEO Adam Ross said, per the outlet.
“Over the course of the last year and a half, we have not only seen a tremendous increase in employee wellness and well-being but concurrently, our customer service and relations, as well as talent relations and retention also have benefited,” he added.
The group is also working alongside global pilots of the four-day work week in countries including the U.S., Canada, and Ireland.
Kickstarter, which bills itself as a fully remote company but is based in the U.S., began testing the four-day workweek this year and said it has been more productive and had an easier time attracting new employees.
Most of the companies that have gone permanent with the shorter weeks are in the technology, events, and marketing fields, per The Guardian.
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