With the Labour Government being centered around changing Britain and being the party of the working people, they could potentially be implementing new laws surrounding a 4-day working week. Employees would still have to work their full hours in order to receive their full pay, this could be done through completing ‘compressed hours’ .

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What are compressed hours? 

Compressed hours offer a flexible work arrangement that allows employees to complete their weekly hours in fewer days, typically by working longer days. This arrangement is becoming increasingly popular among businesses and employees. This approach can lead to fewer commuting days, reduced overhead costs for employers, and higher employee satisfaction. However, it’s essential for organizations to carefully manage compressed hours to ensure that it meets both operational needs and employee well-being.

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Does every company have to abide to this? 

No, it is not compulsory for companies to make this transition. Labour has announced that there will be no large, impulsive changes- but businesses are said to be ‘petrified’ about Labours Make Work Pay plans. The aim of this change is to help people save money, become more productive and also help people to schedule around childcare. 

Under current rules, employees who are interested in working a 4 day week will have to request this to their employer for approval- they are not obligated to agree, even though it is anticipated many businesses will honour these requests.

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Advantages of a 4-day work week

Fewer health issues

According to Mind, 1 in 6 people experience mental health problems in a given week. Providing a longer weekend, or an extra day to wind down, employees can spend time with family and friends, get more rest and doing activities that make them happy- increasing their productivity, happiness and overall health. 

Increase recruitment and employee retention

Offering flexible work patterns to those who requested would likely increase the businesses’ overall employee satisfaction. 76% of employees said that they are more likely to remain with an employer that they feel satisfied with, highlighting that this new incentive has benefits for both employees and employers. Employees are more likely to appreciate their employer more if they take work-life balance into consideration.

Additionally, offering a 4-day work week will also help with internal recruitment. Offering these incentives that promote employee appreciation and company culture will encourage more possible candidates to apply. 

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What are the disadvantages of a 4-day work week?

Increase employee stress

Initially, employees may see this as a great opportunity for navigating a work-life balance, but for some it could be different to what they may have expected. Depending on the person, this change could either reduce stress or heighten it. Employers should support their staff that are making the transition- but this still may not be enough to settle the nerves of an employee who likes to get everything done! 

Potential lack of productivity 

Additionally, some employees may not be as suited to this work style as others, and may take the opportunity as a chance to step on the brakes a little. When this change happens, it can sometimes be difficult to build up that previous level of productivity. This also links to a change in employee collaboration. With a new possible distance between employees due to the shortened week and different days out of office, employee engagement could be affected. Moreover, this could also impact the atmosphere in the office for the staff who work 5 days a week.

Who would be entitled to a 4-day working week?

All employees are able to request flexible working, and as previously states, it would most likely be granted to full time staff. However, it is unclear how job roles that require presence and are not able to compress their hours would adapt to this change. Industries such as retail and construction may not be able to offer these changes.

When will this be introduced? 

Labour stated that this change would be implemented within 100 days of being in office, so we should expect to see this approximately around October time, giving business the time to prepare for requests. You should also prepare for other changes that Labour may be planning on making, read more about Labours plans surrounding employees rights in our recent blog.

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