U.K. Government Takes Another Big Step Towards Four-Day Workweek

The U.K. has been one of the nations at the forefront of the four-day workweek movement —consistently engaged in studies and debate exploring its viability — and now the government is positioned to enable workers to request a four-day “compressed” workweek. 

The Independent reports that a proposed piece of legislation, driven by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and supported by trade unions, would allow employees to squeeze their regular working hours into four days, instead of five.  

Education Minister Jacqui Smith has been clarifying these proposals to media outlets. In a statement to LBC radio, Smith said that businesses would not be forced to accept such requests but would have to provide “compressed hours” as an option.    

Compressed hours is a four-day work arrangement designed to improve work-life balance for workers by allowing employees to have a three-day weekend while still fulfilling contractual hours through extended hours on the four days at work. 

The potential for increased productivity is a central argument in favor of the newly proposed flexible work policy. However, critics of the proposal argue the opposite — that it could lead to decreased productivity and increased business costs.     

An extensive study conducted earlier in the year, involving 61 companies, showed promising results with 89% of these companies maintaining the four-day week policy a year later. This trial received broad support among U.K.-based companies. 

The Independent reveals that the 4 Day Week Campaign, represented by its Director Joe Ryle, has also welcomed this proposal, but the group continues to stress the need to reduce overall working hours throughout the workforce. Ryle notes that merely compressing hours without reducing the total working time does necessarily achieve the desired improvements in quality of life and workplace efficiency.  

The Labour Party’s plan to address flexible work, outlined in “Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay,” has sparked considerable debate in the U.K. Under the party’s proposed legislative changes, businesses would be legally required to offer flexible working from the first day of employment — unless they can demonstrate that it is not “reasonably feasible.” This proposal diverges from the current law, which only obliges companies to consider flexible working requests without a mandate to approve them. 

Under the U.K.’s Sunak-led government the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill, was passed through the House of Lords in July 2023. This granted employees the right to request flexible working from the first day of employment. This eliminated the previous requirement of 26 weeks of continuous service before an employee could request changes to their work location, hours, or patterns.  

Additionally, the bill doubled the number of flexible working requests an employee could make within 12 months from one to two. 

As the U.K. continues to lead the conversation on flexible work arrangements, including the four-day workweek, other nations may observe and follow suit.  

The increasing focus on work-life balance, employee autonomy, and flexible work policies could redefine traditional work norms, making them more adaptable to individual needs and modern lifestyles.