There is a four-day trial week in the UK from June – check if your employer is taking part

A total of 60 companies employing 3,000 people have signed up to take part in a four-day pilot here in the UK, offering all employees a three-day weekend without a wage cut

A four-day working week will officially begin in the UK on June 1st, giving all employees the option of a long weekend without loss of pay.

60 companies with 3,000 employees have signed up to take part in a six-month pilot by the action group 4 Day Week Global.

The system is based on the idea that employees will receive 100% of their salary 80% of the time and hopefully remain 100% productive.

This comes amid growing interest in the potential benefits of giving workers an extra day off.

Companies that have signed up for the test range from large marketing firms to charities and breweries.

During the pilot, companies will work with researchers to understand the impact on productivity.

They will also track worker well-being and environmental impact and gender equality.

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The Atom Bank became one of the recent adopters of the four-day workweek last year when it switched to a permanent long weekend with no payroll deductions.

Instead of reducing the employees’ working hours, the four working days were extended.

Some companies have reduced working hours to allow workers to work sustainable 32-hour weeks without losing wages.

Internationally, Microsoft Japan introduced a four-day work week in August 2019, giving 2,300 employees five consecutive Fridays off.

The company said productivity was up 40%, meetings were more efficient and employees – who were also happier – were taking fewer vacation days.

A four-day workweek trial was conducted in Iceland between 2015 and 2019, which researchers have described as an “overwhelming success”.

Participating establishments, including hospitals and schools, switched from 40-hour weeks to 36 or 35 hours, with some reporting improved employee productivity.

The process ended up involving more than 2,500 workers, which is about 1 percent of the Icelandic workforce.

Which companies are offering a four-day week as part of the test phase?

60 UK-based companies will take part in the study, but only 28 have agreed to be publicly identified.

These employers include:

Hutch – game developer

Yo Telecom – Telecom Services

Adzooma – Online Marketing Company

Pressure drop brewing – brewery

Happy – workplace advice

Platte’s Fish and Chips – chip shop in Norfolk

Eurowagens – car parts dealer

Bookishly – Online Shop for Books and Gifts

Results First Group – Education and Care Services

NeatClean – eco cleaning products company

5 Squirrels – Advice for skincare brands

Salamandra – Animation Studios

Girling Jones – Recruitment Firm

AKA Case Management – case management company

IE Brand & Digital – Marketing Company

Helping hands – home care services

Trio Media – Marketing Agency

Literal Humans – Marketing Agency

Physiquipe – rehabilitation technology company

Tyler Grange – Landscape Planning Consultancy

Timberlake Consultants – software development company

Royal Society of Biology – professional body

Everledge – technology company

Scotland’s International Development Alliance – Trade association for Scottish charities

Amplitude – technology company

Stemette Futures – Educational organization

Comcen – Retailer of computer accessories

We Are Purposeful – activism organization