Why a 4 day week?
The 9-5, 5 day working week is outdated and no longer fit for purpose.
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In the UK, we work some of the longest hours in Europe while having one of the least productive economies. We invented the weekend a century ago and are long overdue an update to working hours.
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We're campaigning for a four-day, 32 hour working week with no loss of pay which would benefit workers, employers, the economy, our society and our environment.
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Together we can build a society where we work to live, rather than live to work.
A Four-Day Week benefits:
WORKERS
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Better work-life balance – a four-day week gives us the time to live happier and more fulfilled lives, allowing for those non-work parts of life that are often neglected such as:
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Rest – sleep and the various forms of rest we need while awake (physical, mental, social, emotional and sensory rest).
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Leisure – from spending time with family and friends, to pursuing hobbies and passion projects.
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'Life Admin' – tasks like shopping, cleaning, managing the finances, and the many parenting duties.
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Help with the cost of living - a four-day week with no loss of pay reduces the cost of childcare and commuting.
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EMPLOYERS
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Higher performance and profits – trials and real-world examples show that employers who move to a four-day week increase productivity and reduce costs (a Henley Business School study in 2021 estimated that UK businesses would save a combined £104 billion a year if a four-day week was implemented across the entire workforce).
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Greater talent – reducing the working week enables organisations to attract and retain high quality employees who are happier and less stressed and take fewer sick days.
THE ECONOMY
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Lower unemployment – incredibly, the UK suffers simultaneously from overwork, unemployment and underemployment, so a four-day week is an intuitively simple way to rebalance the economy and address many problems.
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Increased productivity – numerous studies show that working fewer hours would boost the UK’s productivity.
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Boost to tourism – with more free leisure time, the tourism sector would benefit from people taking more short breaks in the UK.
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SOCIETY
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Better mental and physical health – more time to focus on our health and wellbeing, and prevent and address any issues or illnesses.
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Gender equality – a more equal share of paid and unpaid work, including of caring roles traditionally ascribed to women.
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Strengthened communities – more time to build relationships and care for children, elderly and disabled people.
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THE ENVIRONMENT
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A more sustainable lifestyle – more free time allows us to make environmentally-positive choices, such as cycling and walking instead of driving, and cooking with fresh ingredients rather than buying energy-intensive ready meals.
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A reduced carbon footprint – research has shown that a four-day week could reduce the UK's carbon footprint by 127 million tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of taking 27 million cars off the road (effectively the entire UK private car fleet).