As the General Election approaches, a key area of focus for any party serious about running the country will be our economy and how to get it moving again. With the UK entering its 11th year of stagnation, a bold vision is needed to set out a clear path for growth. The introduction of a four-day working week, with no loss of pay, could be the answer, and the Lib Dems are the obvious Party to take the policy forward.
Far from a “left-wing” radical idea, the four-day week policy is perfectly aligned with liberal values of work-life balance, equality, innovation, and environmentalism.
A shorter working week gives employees more time to pursue life’s pleasures, such as leisure activities, quality family time, self-care, and healthier lifestyle choices. The increased time outside of work affords employees the time to live more fulfilled lives, enhancing the happiness of the individual.
The increased leisure time also opens up the possibility of greater gender balance in domestic responsibilities, can destigmatise reduced working patterns for all genders, and, according to the Women’s Budget Group, the shorter working week could help to close the gender pay gap. There is also the added possibility that workers will use their time off to engage in local projects and contribute in a more meaningful way to their communities.
A shorter working week requires employers and employees alike to become smarter with their time as they try to accomplish tasks in a reduced timeframe. Numerous studies of the impact of a four-day week in the private sector have demonstrated that the change boosts productivity. In 2019, Microsoft Japan saw a 40% increase in productivity when they made the four-day week shift, while here in the UK, a study of the largest four-day week private sector pilot showed that most participating companies were satisfied that productivity and business performance were maintained.
While workplaces benefit from increased or maintained productivity, workers are afforded more flexibility in their schedules, greater independence in how they manage their time, and greater job satisfaction.
While not a solution to the climate crisis, a four-day week can certainly play a part in tackling it. A four-day week offers the potential to shrink the UK’s carbon footprint by up to 127 million tonnes per year, according to environmental organisation Platform London. Reduced time in the office could potentially lead to a reduction in vehicle usage, directly resulting in fewer carbon emissions, and could also lower energy consumption for heating, cooling and lighting.
The four-day week policy finds its natural home with the Lib Dems, as it perfectly blends benefits for businesses, the individual, and society. As we draw closer to the General Election, adopting this well-rounded policy could help the Lib Dems to stand out from the other major parties when it’s time to face the electorate and with more than two-thirds of the electorate consistently stating they want a four-day week, the potential boost in vote share is worth considering.
Like all transformative ideas, someone needs to be “the first”, and while there have been several four-day week trials in the private sector, it’s the Lib Dems who are already “the first” to trial the policy in the public sector.
In 2023, Lib Dem controlled South Cambridgeshire District Council became the first to trial the introduction of a 32-hour, four-day work week with no loss of pay. Evidence so far points to the trial being a success, with the Council managing to address its recruitment and retention crisis, and save an estimated £776,000 a year on agency costs. Yet despite the success of the trial, the council has been subjected to threats from the Conservative Government whose ideological opposition to the policy has seen the Council served with a Best Value Notice.
South Cambridgeshire, while remaining steadfast in its belief in the change, have been left to weather these attacks alone. The adoption of the four-day week policy by the Lib Dems would demonstrate to them that the Party backs their attempts to innovate, respects their independence and is willing to stand with them against the government’s bullying.
With other Lib Dem Councils considering the transition and the Lib Dem’s Scotland office already adopting this change, the Lib Dems are already becoming the Party of the four-day week. Making this Party policy and including it in the next election manifesto will simply be a natural confirmation of what is already taking place.
* Aliyah Davies is a campaigner for the 4 Day Week Campaign
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8 Comments
So many questions. How for example does it work for people who do jobs which arent office based and where they actually need to be there. A nurse for example or someone who stocks shelves at a supermarket. Will their employers costs rise as they will need to employ someone else for the additonal hours?
A 4 day week sounds like it might work well for some organisations where they have particular challenges like South Cambs and its certainly something employers should consider but that is very different from making it mandatory. Incdientally while the (very short term) Microsoft japan experiment seems to have been much written about it is striking the firm hasnt adopted it elsewhere ( or as far as i can see in Microsoft Japan itself?)
My partner is a teacher and would love to only have to work 4 days for the same pay….or do you not think it should apply to teachers?
Bit like working from home during Covid…It ended up with the working class serving the middle class.
A recipe for those that are finding it tough in a centrally heated – air conditioned office. As usual the manual worker will need to get up on Friday & do it all over again – not much changes for them .
A key element in making 4-day weeks – or any flexi arrangement – work is moving away from presentism (measuring input hours) to measuring useful output. This is part of high productivity working. It turns out that the UK is rather poor at this. Possibly due to the low skill level of most managers, which may be due to poor education and training. So the default tends to be watching the clock and micromanagement. Not good for morale.
With all respect to teachers and other working fixed contact hours, there are many other roles in a modern society where measurement of hours works better. I would bet that a lot of councillors – a part time calling – are in favour of flexible working and results based assessment.
In the nineteenth century there was a six-day week, by the time my parents starting working there was a five and a half day working week. When I started working there was a five-day working week. It must be time to reduce the working week to four days, but I noticed that the working day of 8 hours is an increase from the 7.5 when I started work and the 7 worked in some jobs. In the shop I worked in, the shop was open six days a week but the workers only worked five days a week. Nowadays shop workers still can work five days a week while the shop is now open seven days a week. Therefore it must be possible for a company to employ people to work four days a week while being open for business for five days a week.
“My partner is a teacher and would love to only have to work 4 days for the same pay….or do you not think it should apply to teachers?”
Or all other Public Sector workers?
Maybe they would settle for better pay during a continuous cost of living crisis and better conditions? That will be the day.
Introducing a four day week is a great idea, but it will take time. There are easy wins but difficult issues too. Teachers, nurses, doctors to name but 3.
Let’s consider education. If adults (many of them parents) are to be given a 4 day week, why not schoolchildren? In my youth, I went to school on 6 days, with the school day starting at 9 and finishing after 4, except on Saturdays, when we finished at 12.30. The school I went to now operates on 5 days. Why not 4 slightly longer days, both for teachers and pupils?
Medical services need to operate 7 days a week 365 days a year, at least hospitals and emergency units. They already operate shift systems so no-one works 7 days. If staff in the NHS were to work only four days then it will almost certainly be necessary to employ more people and train them. Would that be a bad thing, given the likely decline in other work due to computerisation or further industrial decline.
We don’t need naysayers, what we need is imaginative solutions so that everyone gets to enjoy more leisure and family time.
Great idea butthe devil is, as always, in the detail. One size will clearly not fit all.
Where it does fit then it could go alongside a requirement to commit to some voluntary work?