Four Day Week to be implemented in Britain on pilot basis from 1 June
Many countries are moving ahead on the formula of working 4 days a week. Now Britain is also going to join the Four Day Work Week Club. A four-day-a-week pilot project is starting from June 1 in the UK. It is being implemented by 60 big companies of the country. In this trial, which lasts for about six months, companies will ask their employees to work for four days a week or a maximum of 32 hours. That is, employees will get three days off every week.
In this 3000 employees of 60 big companies of the country have been included. There will be no change in the salary of the employees during this period. Labor economist Jonathan Boyce said the biggest challenge would be how to measure productivity. Employees will have to do five days’ work in four days.
Earlier, the United Arab Emirates has reduced working days in a week for government establishments from five to four and a half days from January 2022. On Friday, there is half-day working. Totally off on Saturday and Sunday. It is believed that soon similar rules can be implemented in the private sector as well.
At present, this rule has been implemented in seven major countries:-
-In June 2021, the Japanese government launched an initiative aimed at improving work-life balance, asking companies to introduce a four-day work week. Panasonic is the first Japanese company to implement this rule.
-Unilever New Zealand, a multinational consumer goods company, introduced a one-year, four-day work week in December 2020 without pay cuts for its employees.
-Belgium has become the new country to join the list of countries, which is giving its employees the option of working four days a week.
-Last year the Spanish government announced a 32-hour working week without cutting employees’ wages.
-Scotland began a four-day working week on a trial basis, as promised during campaigning by the ruling party. At the same time, the working hours of the employees were reduced by 20% but there was no loss in compensation.
