UK four-day week trial begins, world’s biggest pilot of its kind

From Monday, thousands of workers in the UK will be starting a four-day work week, the largest of its kind, without any loss of their pay. The trial will last for six weeks and includes 3,300 workers across 70 companies, spanning from financial service providers to small restaurants.

During the pilot, the workers will receive 100% pay while working 80% of their week and maintaining 100% productivity, also known as the 100:80:100 model. The trial will be run by a think tank, Autonomy, not-for-profit 4 Day Week Global, and the 4 Day Week UK Campaign. The researchers from Oxford University, Cambridge University, and Boston College will be partnering with them in this pilot.

The brand manager at Pressure Drop Brewing, Sienna O'Rourke, made a statement saying that the main aim of the company is to enhance the well being and mental wellness of its employees. She also said that the Pandemic pressured her to consider the work and lives of people. So, they have decided to take part in this trial to improve the lives of their staff and play their part in the progression of the world. Pressure Drop Brewing is an independent brewery in London.


Before this, the credit for the biggest shorter working week pilot was with Iceland. It was conducted between 2015 and 2019. There were two large trials with 2,500 public sector workers. The trial showed no drop in productivity but a dramatic rise in the well-being of the employees. Later this year, Spain and Scotland are also set to carry out Government-backed 4 Day Week trials.

The researchers will work with every organization that participated to study the effect on productivity and well being of the employees along with the impact on gender equality and the environment.