Over 200,000 workers in the UK have transitioned to four-day workweek since 2019

Over 100,000 workers in the United Kingdom have transitioned to a full-time four-day workweek since the pandemic, highlighting a major shift in the evolving work landscape sparked by Covid, a new analysis reveals. About 1.4 million people reported working full-time for four days in a week between October and December 2024, an increase of over 100,000 compared to the same period in 2019, when 1.29 million followed this work schedule, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Campaigners and some economists say that a four-day week offers advantages like improved mental health and more personal time for relaxation to workers and also benefits businesses by boosting employee motivation and aiding in hiring and retention.

Moreover, an additional 100,000 employees said they worked a part-time four-day week between October and December 2024.

Consequently, the percentage of employees in the UK who report working a four-day week has gone up from 9.8% in the final three months of 2019 to 10.9%, representing 2.7 million across full- and part-time work.

However, the data does not reveal whether those taking advantage of shorter working weeks have compressed their hours or have taken a pay cut to do so.

The 4 Day Week Foundation, which campaigns for more businesses to take up shorter working weeks with no loss of pay for staff, has reported that more than 420 companies having more than 12,000 employees have adopted a four-day week since the pandemic. This is based on the number of companies that have signed up to the foundation’s employer accreditation scheme and those who publicised their adoption of a shorter week.

“The nine to five, five-day week is a century-old model that no longer fits the way we live and work today. We’re long overdue an update. A four-day week with no loss of pay is about freedom—the freedom to live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives,” said Sam Hunt, the business network coordinator at the foundation.

The pandemic transformed the world of work for many professionals and turned hybrid working into the “new normal” for more than a quarter of working adults in Great Britain, reveal ONS figures.

However, some workers have had to fight for the right to keep working from home after the return-to-office mandates.

In a positive development, even one local authority has adopted the change. South Cambridgeshire District Council voted last month to permanently adopt a four-day week, becoming the first UK council to do so. Now, its 700 workers are expected to carry out 100% of their work in about 80% of their contracted hours, with no reduction in pay.

The council implemented the change after a 27-month trial during which it recorded faster planning applications, housing repairs, and benefits processing. Besides, it made an annual saving of nearly £400,000 by filling vacancies permanently rather than relying on expensive agency workers.

Several senior Labour politicians, including the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, have voiced support for a four-day week, although the party has not embraced the policy since coming to power.

Marketing and technology companies and charities have been ahead in adopting four-day weeks, says the 4 Day Week Foundation.