Chamber patron hails 'groundbreaking ' four-day week results

A Birmingham change consultancy which has been championing a shorter working week welcomed the “positive findings ” from the UK 's four-day week trials.

A total of 61 companies across several sectors in the UK were involved in the four-day week pilot, which ran for six months from June last year.

Employers had to make sure there was no reduction in wages for staff who took part in trialling a 32-hour week.

Results released yesterday were positive - with 92 per cent of firms involved in the trial vowing to stick with the four-day week.

Andy Dawson, director of Chamber patron Curium Solutions, who co-founded the Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence to drive the global shift towards a shorter working week, said the positive response to the trial was unsurprising.

He said: “We have watched the momentum behind the move to shorter working weeks gather momentum throughout 2022, following the success of past trials, I expected nothing less from this UK pilot.

“We are excited to be helping customers deliver a shorter working week solution that appeals to employers, employees, and customers alike. Changing the way people work to improve the work-life balance. ”

According to the trials, when it came to the business impact, the shorter work week resulted in:

• 35 per cent increase in revenue on average when compared to similar periods from previous years.
• 57 per cent reduction in staff resignations during the trial.
• Nearly 100 per cent of employees involved said they would prefer a reduced work week.

Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence director and co-founder Joe O 'Connor said: “The groundbreaking results from the four-day week pilot in the UK represent the culmination of a set of trials throughout 2022 that I was proud to play a leading role in designing and delivering.

“The focus for 2023 needs to be the application of the learnings and positive findings from these trials to industry-specific challenges and contexts. ”

The Canada-headquartered Work Time reduction Center of Excellence also announced a set of new industry-specific initiatives designed to take the growing global shorter working week movement to the next level.

The WTRCoE will be recruiting companies from law, insurance, manufacturing and professional services to a set of cohort-based work time reduction programs which will provide tailored support specific to that industry. It is anticipated that more programs and industries will follow later in 2023.

O 'Connor adds: “These particular sectors have been chosen as while they have been underrepresented for the most part in recent global experiments, we believe that with the right approach, there is a significant opportunity to reduce working time in these professions without loss of pay or productivity. ”

The Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence, will be supported by world-class researchers, change management experts, operational excellence specialists, future of work thought leaders, and four-day week pioneers, designs bespoke trials, programs and projects focused on the individual needs of companies.

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce is hosting a webinar entitled 'Is the four-day week the future of work? ' as part of its forthcoming Growth Through People campaign. Find out more information.

Pictured: Joe O'Connor and Andy Dawson