Press release

Tuesday, 27th September 2022

4 Day Week Global responds to Labour bill which calls for a 32-hour work week

 While the introduction of a 32-hour work week is a worthy aspiration, it is critical to address this in parallel with an equal conversation about maintaining, if not improving, British productivity. 

 This is according to 4 Day Week Global, who has responded to a bill tabled in the UK parliament by Labour MP Peter Dowd, which calls for the introduction of a 32-hour work week across the UK economy, bringing workers in line with other parts of Europe.

 Andrew Barnes, co-founder of 4 Day Week Global, says, “Our philosophy and pilot programmes focus on how businesses can work in partnership with their workforce to ensure the balance between reducing work time and maintaining productivity.

 “To reduce work time sustainably, we believe in a collective partnership approach between workers, business leaders and key stakeholders. This is of paramount importance in order to ensure it is sustainable for businesses and works for the British economy in the long term.

 “We are working with several regional and national Governments in Europe and globally to introduce pilot programmes and research projects which assess the economic, social and environmental impacts of reducing work time, and the feasibility of introducing shorter hours across different sectors and industries. We encourage lawmakers around the globe to commit to supporting trials in both the public and private sector, which will help to inform sustainable future of work initiatives and the shape of legislation.” 

 Charlotte Lockhart, managing director of 4 Day Week Global added, “For us, this is about the desire to maintain pay at the same levels alongside moving to a shorter working week, without compromising on business performance or organisational priorities. Our 100-80-100™ principle was developed to reflect 100% pay for 80% time, while maintaining 100% of the output.”

 4 Day Week Global believes it is not simply the case that reducing work hours automatically leads to productivity increases. Businesses, along with their employees, should take ownership of their productivity, especially in the current challenging economic climate.

The recent release of mid-point results for their United Kingdom pilot programme, where over 70 companies are currently trialling a four-day week or equivalent shorter work week, shows an encouraging trend for business productivity being maintained and worker wellbeing improving. 

ends

 For more information:

4 Day Week Global

Global campaigns and activation officer

media@4dayweek.com 

About 4 Day Week Global:

4 Day Week Global was founded in New Zealand by 4 Day Week architect Andrew Barnes alongside entrepreneur and philanthropist Charlotte Lockhart in 2019, following the world-renowned success of their pioneering trial of the four-day working week in Perpetual Guardian in 2018.

Since then, 4 Day Week Global has supported hundreds of companies from a variety of industries all over the world to run four-day week trials, or make the permanent transition to reduced hour, productivity focused working.

Their approach is based on the 100-80-100™ principle designed by Lockhart alongside the Perpetual Guardian trial in 2018 - 100% of the pay, for 80% of the time, in exchange for a commitment to delivering 100% of the output.

This model is proven to deliver both improved company productivity, efficiency and performance, alongside greater employee wellbeing, engagement, and work-life balance. Research from leading international academics suggest the four-day working week can be a truly triple-dividend policy: better for the economy, better for society, and better for the environment.

Initially established as a networking community for like-minded people and organizations interested in exploring the shorter working week and as a vehicle for global advocacy, 4 Day Week Global has grown to become the global market leader in supporting businesses and governments who wish to experiment with or implement work time reduction.

The development of 4 Day Week Global's pilot programme in 2021 has enabled the organization to respond to the exponential growth in demand for and interest in the four-day working week, and to shift to a model which can uniquely support employers and employees to run trials at scale.

The organization has now joined forces with some of the world's most prominent and preeminent experts in this field, including bringing on board dynamic leader and campaigner Joe O'Connor as chief executive officer, and author, speaker and consultant Alex Soojung-Kim Pang as global programs and development manager.

Its ambition is to make a four-day working week the new default and reduced working time the new standard. Its intention is to lead and grow the global movement for a shorter working week to make this a reality all over the world.

Buy Andrew Barnes’ book, ‘The 4 Day Week; How the flexible work revolution can increase productivity, profitability and well-being, and create a sustainable future’, here.