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The four-day workweek may one day be widely adopted across Scottland if a noteworthy public sector trial proves successful.
The Scottish government recently confirmed the launch of a one-year pilot program to test a four-day work week within the country’s public sector, according to a report by Scottish Financial News.
Participants include 140 staff members at South of Scotland Enterprise, and the program will reduce their current workweek from 35 to 32 hours without loss of pay.
The pilot is reminicent of last year’s largest U.K. public sector trial on record, which was designed to evaluate whether a shorter working week could maintain or improve productivity without cutting employee wages.
That trial, introduced by South Cambridge District Council, analyzed 24 areas impacting the workplace — including mental health and employee motivation — and found a shorter workweek improved performance in 11 out of the 24 areas. Another 11 areas remained with little or no change, and only two areas experienced worsened performance.
The Guardian reports the Scottish Government had first announced a four-day workweek trial last September as part of former First Minister Humza Yousaf’s program for government. If the trial proves successful, it could pave the way for more broader implementations of the shorter workweek across Scotland.
The Scottish government’s trial of a four-day workweek coincides with a broader global trend towards exploring flexible work arrangements. If successful, Scotland’s approach could serve as another example for businesses and other countries to adopt similar programs worldwide.
