What happened to the four-day working week?

The prospect of the four-day working week took the labour force by storm in early 2023. Google searches for “four-day week” skyrocketed last February following the widely publicised positive feedback from the majority of organisations that took part in the largest ever trial of this style of working. 

At the time, only 5% of organisations in the UK had introduced or were trialling a four-day work week. However, much of the workforce anticipated a rapid rise in the implementation of this working pattern, with almost half (46%) believing it would become a reality by the beginning of 2028. 

So, one year on, are we any closer to the four-day week becoming a reality for the masses – or was it just a fleeting workplace trend that fizzled out quicker that it started?

At a glance: how popular is the four-day week?

• Search queries for “four-day week” spiked in February 2023, but it hasn’t received close to the same level of online interest since. 
• 14% of organisations now offer their employees the option to work a four-day week – this figure stood at just 5% one year ago. 
• 62% of employees would prefer to work a four-day week with all days spent in the workplace than a five-day hybrid week.

Recent news could reignite dwindled interest

Since February last year, the four-day week hasn’t received anywhere near the same level of online traction, with the highest subsequent search query peak occurring in September, garnering a mere quarter (25%) of February’s interest, according to Google Trends data.

That said, public interest on the topic may be roused by supermarket giant, Asda, recently introducing a four-day work week for managers in a bid to mitigate mass staff exodus. They are currently trialling a number of flexible working policies with no reduction to pay or benefits – including the four-day working week – for managers across 20 of their stores. 

Further, a pilot of the four-day week for 140 public sector workers in Scotland has just commenced. We’ve seen the positive results of the private sector trial – interest may be piqued if the public sector trial observes similar outcomes. However, it’s unlikely to ignite the same level of attention as the private sector trial due to the smaller scale of the experiment: 140 workers compared to around 2,900, respectively.

Uptake of the four-day working week has increased

Despite the four-day week drawing less online interest than a year ago, our findings show that a growing number of organisations are offering this style of working to their employees.

In February 2023, a mere 5% of organisations in the UK had introduced or were trialling a four-day work week. This figure doubled in a matter of months; according to our latest Salary and Recruiting Trends Guide (based on a survey of almost 15,000 professionals in August and September 2023), 10% of employers gave their employees the option to work a four-day week. This figure has since increased to 14%, according to our recent LinkedIn poll (January 2024) of over 3,000 professionals. 

The four-day week could support return-to-office mandates

An increasing number of employers are closing the lid on hybrid working and requesting their employees head back into the office. Employers will likely be thinking about how these strict policy changes could have implications on employee attraction and retention, so it would be practical to consider how offering alternative flexible working arrangements could mitigate this. 

The four-day week is evidently a compelling benefit to bear in mind, given that almost two-thirds (62%) of employees would prefer to work a four-day week with all days spent in the workplace than a five-day hybrid week. It would seemingly have the potential to make a return-to-office a less bitter pill to swallow for many people. 

The future of the four-day week is uncertain

Opinions are mixed on whether or not the four-day work week will become a reality for the masses. More than a quarter (26%) of people believe it’ll never happen, while others have varying predictions ranging from in the year ahead to over the course of the next decade. 

It’s unclear if the number of organisations offering a four-day working week will continue on an upward trajectory. The world of work is ever-evolving; we’re constantly navigating from one ‘new normal’ to the next. It’s anyone’s guess if there will be mass future uptake of the four-day week – although even if there is, that doesn’t guarantee it’ll stick around.

Employers, if you want to find out more about the trends currently shaping the world of work, take a look at our Salary and Recruiting Trends Guide. 

Job seekers, are you being paid market rate? Check out our salary calculator to find out.