It’s Sunday night. Your stomach lurches and your mind races.

The promises you made about what you’d achieve this weekend are exposed as lies you tell yourself to get through the working week. Meanwhile, you’re just hours away from five more days in a workplace you could swear you only left five minutes ago.

What if we could consign that feeling to the past? 

What do you have in mind?

The four-day week.

You mean…

That’s right. The three-day weekend. 

A chance to get the rest you need and tick off everything on your to-do list. Never again will you say ‘if only I had one more day…’. 

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Is it actually happening?

It already has, albeit on a small scale. 

In June 2022, 61 companies in the UK participated in the world’s largest four-day week trial.

The six-month study was organised by advocacy group 4 Day Week Global, working with the Autonomy research group alongside researchers from Boston College and the University of Cambridge. 

How did it work?

With employees still receiving 100% of their pay, companies shortened their working week. All days were still covered, with workers being able to choose when to take their three-day break rather than entire companies moving to a Monday-Thursday week.

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Was it a success?

Apparently so. 56 of the 61 businesses have extended the four-day week, with 18 putting it in place on a permanent basis. 

How did it benefit employees?

They reported better sleep, lower stress and happier personal lives thanks to an improved work-life balance. 

How did it benefit employers?

Revenue across the companies rose 1.4% on average compared to a similar six-month period from previous years. Absences decreased by 65% and there were fewer resignations, with burnout down by 71%. 

As quoted by the Guardian, 4 Day Week Campaign director Joe Ryle said: “if you’re better rested, you’ve had time for yourself and you become more motivated to do your job.”

Would it be expensive?

Tristan Bradley of the 4 Day Week Campaign believes implementing a four-day week across the entire public sector would cost about £9 billion, saying on Twitter: “This is just 6% of the public sector employment salary bill, just 1% of the government’s total spending budget. It would create between 300,000 to 500,000 jobs.”

He added: “The result: an economy larger, wealthier, and more productive than they ever could have imagined at the time. There is no reason not to do this.

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Thursday night and the lights are low?

The 4 Day Week Campaign is lobbying the government to allow employees to request a four-day week. If they’re successful, we might soon be referring to ‘that Thursday feeling’.