Finance and Fintech are the sectors most likely to consider adopting a four-day week, according to data which suggests more than 200 UK companies have adopted the practice.
Healthcare and Life Sciences, Energy and Sustainability and Manufacturing & Engineering also rated highly, along with consulting & Services and technology and Software.
The findings came as part of a survey by Startups.co.uk giving support to a campaign. By the 4-Day Week Foundation, which suggest more than 5,000 UK employees, are now enjoying a three-day weekend. And more Brits could be joining them this year.
The update is the latest sign that the 4DWW movement is gaining momentum. At the end of last year, Startups surveyed 531 SMEs about their plans for 2025. Thirteen per cent said they wanted to adopt a four-day week this year, an uplift of one percentage point from last year, potentially breaking a century-old working practices and promotes a shift pattern that allows for greater work-life balance.
The 4-Day Week Foundation reports that all 200 firms have signed up for the ‘gold-standard’ four-day week, where full-time workers earn the same as if they work a five-day week, with an extra day off. Leading the charge is London, where 29% of adopters are based.
Variants of this exist, however. Firms such as Asda, for example, have tested staff working their same hours over four days instead of five. In Startups’ survey, 4% of UK SMEs told us they had adopted some form of a four-day week so far.
Of the 13% of businesses that said they planned to introduce a four-day week this year, the majority had fewer than 10 employees, suggesting that the policy may work better in smaller teams where skills and knowledge can be more evenly distributed.
However, plenty of large employers have managed to successfully implement the employee benefit. That includes Atom Bank, a large business with a team of over 540 workers.
Supporters point to the positive impact it has on staff morale. With a three-day weekend, employees have more time to recover from a stressful week. As the policy has grown in popularity, it’s also become a useful tool for attracting new talent.
It’s not all just for workers’ sake, however. Findings from the UK’s largest four-day week trial suggest it could positively impact productivity in the workplace.
Doing so would fix a big headache for bosses. Due partly to a rise in the number of people unable to work due to ill health, worker output is on the decline.
The government has previously suggested that flexible working policies, designed to reduce burnout, could be a solution to the culture of “presenteeism” that has taken hold.
The latest data appears to support this theory: 47% of companies that worked a four-day week told us that they felt it and other flexible working policies contributed positively to company productivity.
