Almost eight in ten employees (78%) would be in favour of a four-day week, but are unclear what the policy looks like in practice, according to a new survey conducted by Startups.co.uk.
In collaboration with YouGov, we asked a representative sample of 530 employees about their current attitudes to a four-day work week. By examining factors like gender, age, and job role, we were able to quantify workers’ attitudes to adopt a four-day week, including the arguments for and against implementation.
Four-day work weeks have rapidly entered into the mainstream following a successful global trial last year. However, our research shows there remains significant blockers to large-scale rollout. Most notably, there’s a widespread lack of confidence that companies will be able to enact the policy effectively.
We've found:
- 78% of employees want a four-day work week, but only 30% say they feel confident their employer could successfully implement it
-
Those in favour of a four-day working week want a better work-life balance (61%) and more time for personal interests and hobbies (40%)
- 53% of employees are concerned about a potential reduction in pay, despite the concept of a four-day work week specifying no lost wages
- 52% of employees would actively seek future employment from a business offering a four-day working week
- Generationally, a four-day week is most attractive to Gen Z employees, with 58% reporting they would actively seek new employment for the perk
- 5% more women than men would use a four-day working week to save money on childcare costs. This gap rises to 12% for director-level roles
Support has been building for a four-day work week since the trial ended last December. Proponents believe it leads to a better work-life balance and reduced stress. But our research shows many employees – even those who back the policy – incorrectly assume these benefits would go hand-in-hand with a pay cut and an increased risk of working overtime.
With seven in ten staff members planning to request the perk this year, employers need to educate themselves on the strengths and weaknesses of a shortened week, and fast, to stay ahead of this trend.
What would a four-day week give employees?
According to our survey findings, of those who are in favour of a four-day working week, the majority believe it would lead to a better work-life balance at 61%. This is followed by 40% seeing the benefit as a way to make time for personal pursuits and hobbies.
Those who are strongly in favour are most likely to view a four-day week as a strategy to reduce stress and burnout (59%), suggesting that cutting working hours could make a big difference when it comes to improving employee mental health and wellbeing.
In today’s hybrid working world, the line between our professional and personal lives has been blurred. As a result, workers are actively seeking out more flexible ways of working to make managing both priorities easier. A four-day work week is an appealing solution.
Jack Lumb, who works at a marketing agency in London, agrees with this assessment. “You can often find during the working week that you spend your weekend catching up on personal admin rather than relaxing or partaking in recreational activities,” he says. “Having an extra day could be an excellent option for reducing stress and improving mental health.”
? If a four-day working week was available in your workplace, what would be the most significant reason for you to opt for it?
|
Reduced stress and burnout
|
14%
|
|
Reduced commuting time and expenses
|
38%
|
|
Increased productivity and creativity
|
5%
|
|
Increased work-life balance
|
61%
|
|
Child care / and or adult care
|
17%
|
|
More time for personal pursuits and hobbies
|
40%
|
|
More control of working hours
|
9%
|
|
Secondary source of income
|
5%
|
|
Higher job satisfaction
|
5%
|
|
Contribution to environmental sustainability
|
5%
|
Misunderstandings about four-day work week trigger employee scepticism
Despite the understandable interest in a four-day week among employees, our research highlights a huge degree of miscomprehension about how the policy works.
Concerningly, the majority of respondents to our survey assume that a four-day week means they will be paid less money. Our results found 53% were worried about a potential loss of earnings.
In fact, among our respondents, 33% of those opposing a four-day week said they would take a second job if a four-day week was introduced by their employer. This suggests that misunderstandings about a reduction of income could be a deterrent.
? If your organisation decided to implement a four-day workweek for its employees, what would be your biggest concern or issue?
|
Worried about spending more money
|
3%
|
|
Reduction in pay
|
52%
|
|
More hours worked
|
10%
|
|
Less time spent with colleagues
|
4%
|
|
More stress
|
6%
|
|
No impact
|
21%
|
|
Potential boredom
|
2%
|
|
Less structured working hours
|
2%
|
Employees are somewhat confident they would remain productive during a four-day week, as 30% say they would not have to work any additional hours. However, the remaining 70% of employees believe they will work at least one extra hour per week to compensate for time lost.
70% of employees believe they will work at least one extra hour per week to compensate for ‘lost hours’.
Level of seniority appears to influence opinion on how productivity might be affected by a four-day week. Some 36% of those working at an individual contributor level believe no additional hours would need to be worked to make up for working a four-day week, compared to 17% of company partners or owners.
? If you were on a four-day work week, how many hours do you anticipate working beyond your scheduled hours?
|
Less than 2 hours
|
2 - 4 hours
|
5 - 6 hours
|
6+ hours
|
No additional hours
|
|
Individual Contributor %
|
16%
|
28%
|
7%
|
12%
|
36%
|
|
Manager %
|
18%
|
32%
|
14%
|
11%
|
25%
|
|
Director/Head of %
|
20%
|
48%
|
16%
|
4%
|
12%
|
|
Partner/Owner %
|
22%
|
22%
|
17%
|
22%
|
17%
|
Astonishingly, 48% of directors felt they will have to work 2-4 additional hours – potentially up to half a day’s work – to catch up on the lost day. Even so, respondents at director level are still overwhelmingly pro the four-day work week, with 72% voting in favour of the policy.
That said, the perception of reduced hours as a form of ‘bunking off early' is putting some workers off.
El Gray, a researcher who is based in London, admits that “if the four-day working week is seen as ‘lazy’, I would be less inclined to choose it. How you are seen to perform in the workplace is incredibly important.”
What’s behind the confusion?
Misuse of the four-day week by early adopters could be to blame for employees’ confusion. Many of the employers introducing a four-day week in 2023, like retail giant Sainsbury’s, wrongly conflate the policy with flexi-time.
In reality, if a company knows how to properly execute a four-day week, a full-time employee will work reduced hours (around 28 hours over four-days). Essentially, they will have a three-day weekend and wages will remain the same.
Media coverage of early four-week adopters has gone some way towards educating employers and senior leaders on the benefits and practicalities of implementing a shortened work week. Autonomy’s six-month-long trial of the perk, in which 61 companies took part last year, appears to have had an impact on employee understanding.
Sales manager, Alex Watt says the results of the trial, “make an even stronger case for a four-day week and makes me want one to be implemented even more.”
Eagerness to adopt a four-day week tempered by employer mistrust
Staff might be overwhelmingly in favour of a four-day week. But, 48% of the employees we spoke to have little to no confidence that their employer could successfully implement a four-day week within their organisation.
48% of the employees we spoke to have little to no confidence that their employer could successfully implement a four-day.
From those who lack this confidence, their top reasons for wanting the benefit were higher job satisfaction (38%) and reduced stress and burnout (41%).
This indicates that, where employees don't trust the employer to implement a four-day week, they are more likely to currently feel dissatisfied in their roles and experience regular burnout.
Distrustful working atmospheres can create a highly undesirable environment for everyone. These kinds of companies are more likely to display poor employee engagement and a negative organisational culture.
A four-day week might be the key to fixing poor trust amongst employees. Introducing policies which prioritise staff wellbeing is proven to have a positive impact on job satisfaction and employee commitment, as workers feel more valued and appreciated.
Workers from every age group would quit their jobs for a four-day work week – except boomers
With the four-day week gaining momentum amongst workers, the majority (52%) of respondents told us they’d be willing to quit to get it. This statistic should make employers sit up and take notice, particularly in light of increasing staff turnover rates.
Business struggles to access talent have been heightened by today’s fast-moving jobs landscape, as candidates call the shots and demand greater choice over when and where their work is carried out.
Gen Z respondents were most likely to seek out a job with a new company if it would allow them to work a four-day week.
58% of people in this age group said they would actively search for a new role with another employer offering a four-day week, compared to an average of 50% across all other age groups.
Boomers, the oldest generation currently in the workforce, are the most likely to oppose switching careers for a four-day work week.
Almost a third said that a four-day work week was unlikely or very unlikely to persuade them to look for a new role. This is considerably lower than Gen Z (19%), Millennial (15%), and Gen X (19%) respondents.
These findings are reflected in a poll by household money-saving tool Nous.co, which revealed a big generational gap in attitudes towards employee benefits and perks. Some 71% of Gen Zers consider non-salary benefits to be important, compared to 36% of 55-64s.
? How likely are you to actively seek out a job with a company that offers a four-day work week?
|
Likely or very likely
|
Not likely or very unlikely
|
|
Gen Z %
|
58%
|
19%
|
|
Millennials %
|
53%
|
15%
|
|
Gen X %
|
54%
|
19%
|
|
Boomers %
|
45%
|
31%
|
Declining appetite for a four-day working week, decreasing the older a person gets, is a strong indication of a change in the tide towards a flexible working model.
The shift is most extreme among 18 to 34-year-olds, who no longer want a traditional nine-to-five job. Gen Z employees, who joined the workforce just in time for the post-COVID era of remote/hybrid working, have been quicker to embrace flexible working than older colleagues.
As evidence, this group was also the least worried about the potential for a four-day week to lead to a reduced structure of working hours, indicating that they are more open to flexible ways of working.
? What would be your main reason to opt-in to a four-day work week?
|
Gen Z %
|
Millennials %
|
Gen X %
|
Boomers %
|
|
Reduced stress and burnout
|
16%
|
6%
|
3%
|
9%
|
|
Reduced commuting time and expenses
|
21%
|
21%
|
19%
|
20%
|
|
Increased productivity and creativity
|
7%
|
2%
|
3%
|
2%
|
|
Increased work-life balance
|
19%
|
26%
|
34%
|
33%
|
|
Child care / and or adult care
|
9%
|
13%
|
8%
|
2%
|
|
More time for charity or community work
|
5%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
|
More time for personal pursuits and hobbies
|
16%
|
17%
|
21%
|
21%
|
|
More control of working hours
|
2%
|
9%
|
3%
|
3%
|
|
Secondary source of income
|
5%
|
3%
|
3%
|
4%
|
|
Higher job satisfaction
|
0%
|
3%
|
2%
|
4%
|
|
Contribution to sustainability
|
0%
|
2%
|
4%
|
2%
|
Gen Z respondents were the most likely to want a four-day work week for financial reasons. Some 26% said they would like a shortened work week as a way to reduce commuting expenses, or to make time for a secondary source of income.
This youngest age bracket was also more than twice as likely to worry about potentially spending more money if a four-day week were to be introduced, compared to Boomers. Earlier this year, we reported that today’s UK graduates expect around £5,000 more than the typical starting salary offered by employers.
Matt Reed is a Gen Z employee who is currently living in London. Reed says he has taken a side gig to supplement his full-time job as a writer due to the current economic difficulties.
“I have found some freelance opportunities outside my regular working hours,” he reports. “My current wage doesn’t go far for someone living in London so it has helped during those cost of living increases. Most notably, with rising food prices.”
Employees could save on child care – but more women will end up doing it
Hiked childcare costs have been making life a misery for working parents, as a lack of early-years-care provisions sends nursery fees skyrocketing to an average of £105.76 per week in 2022. This is 16% of the median weekly wage for a private sector employee.
The crisis is having the biggest impact on working mothers. AIG's study of over 3,000 employees found women are nearly three times more likely to have to reduce their hours to look after children – one of the biggest contributors to the gender pay gap.
A four-day work week could take away the pressure some women already feel to have to reduce their hours – in this case, without sacrificing pay.
After improvements to work-life balance, the second most popular option that women gave for choosing to opt into a four-day week revolved around family support. We found that 5% more women than men see the value of a four-day working week to support child/adult care responsibilities. The gap rises to 12% at director level.
Meanwhile, men were 11% more likely to label having more time to support their personal hobbies and interests as their main motivator.
? If a four-day working week were available in your workplace, why would you opt for it? (Men vs. Women).
|
Male %
|
Female %
|
% difference (Men vs Women)
|
|
Reduced stress and burnout
|
3%
|
9%
|
-6%
|
|
Reduced commuting time and expenses
|
22%
|
18%
|
3%
|
|
Increased productivity and creativity
|
3%
|
2%
|
0%
|
|
Increased work-life balance
|
26%
|
33%
|
-8%
|
|
Child care / and or adult care
|
6%
|
11%
|
-5%
|
|
More time for personal pursuits and hobbies
|
25%
|
14%
|
11%
|
|
Second source of income
|
4%
|
3%
|
1%
|
|
Contribution to environmental sustainability
|
4%
|
1%
|
3%
|
Holly Boultwood is a content director at a global tech firm. She first worked a compressed four-day week when returning from maternity leave, but then went part-time due to the costs of full-time childcare.
“The decision to reduce my hours from compressed to a four-day week was a challenging one,” Boultwood relates, “as it comes with a salary reduction. But it felt like it was important for work-life balance.”
Our findings suggest that a four-day work week would go some way to redress such scenarios.
Should a four-day week be implemented, parents like Holly, who are balancing childcare costs, may not need to work fewer days or take a salary cut. Instead, they can care for their children on the fifth day.
Non-remote workers want a four-day week, but don’t trust their employer to implement it
Our survey found that fully in-office teams have the lowest amount of confidence that their employer could successfully implement a four-day work week. According to our results, just 25% of in-office workers were confident the policy could be rolled out well, versus 39% of remote or hybrid workers.
One of the main criticisms of the four-day week model is that it will work better for industries where team members are not required to work in-person.
Where a staff member’s presence is required to carry out specific tasks (for example, warehouse operatives or restaurant wait staff) it is more difficult for businesses to accommodate rota gaps.
However, a significant percentage of the group who were strongly or somewhat in favour of a four-day work week also work fully in-office (49%). This suggests that the policy should not be dismissed too easily by employers in non-remote industries.
? What is your current working model, and how in favour are you of a four-day work week?
|
Strongly in favour
|
Somewhat in favour
|
Neutral
|
Somewhat oppose
|
Strongly oppose
|
|
% full-time employees who work remote
|
48%
|
49%
|
42%
|
52%
|
40%
|
|
% full-time employees who work non-remote
|
45%
|
41%
|
51%
|
33%
|
60%
|
|
Part-time..
|
