A four-day working week has moved a step closer after 17 Irish companies signed up to participate in a trial.
The group Four Day Week has been campaigning to introduce a shorting working week across Ireland.
So far 17 Irish companies have signed up to participate in a trial run.
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These companies work in areas from recruitment to bioceuticals manufacturers across Ireland.
The trial period is lasting for 6 months having started in February of this year with business support that includes: "training programme developed by companies who have already successfully implemented a four-day week; coaching, mentoring and advice from four-day week business leaders, networking and collaboration with other participant companies in Ireland and internationally and access to world-class academic research and expert analysis."
Speaking this morning on the Ryan Tubridy Show on RTE Radio 1, Margaret Cox who is Co-Director for the recruitment agency ICE Group, shared her company's story of switching to four-day working weeks.
"We were looking at where we were going in the four years from 2020-2024 and our vision was to be a world-class organisation that inspires other organisations," Margaret Cox said.
In 2019, The company moved to a four-day working week with every worker keeping the same wages and all the company asked for was "that they get the same output" as they would in a five-day week.
Some changes were made to the four-day working week including shortening the lunch hours.: "People now take a half-hour lunch - they didn't need the full hour," Margaret Cox said.
"We operate in a business park so people can bring in their own sandwiches or go out and grab something quick."
The working day is also slightly longer. "The four days we work went to a slightly longer day, we started at 8 and finished at half 5."
Employees at ICE are able to choose to have either Friday or Monday for their three day weekend.
According to fourdayweek.ie, there are numerous benefits of a business moving to a four-day week.
These are better productivity for the business with numerous studies showing workers are more focused and energised working over four days compared to five.
Four-day weeks are better for workers' mental and physical health.
It's also allows for "better distribution of caring responsibilities between mothers and fathers."
Moving to a four-day week could also reduce carbon emissions caused by the daily commute to the office.
Yala is a Dublin-based recruitment services company that is participating in the trial.
Barry Prost, Managing Partner of Yala, said: “Our main motivation for engaging in the four-day week pilot is to be able to attract and retain high quality staff to the team. Offering a four-day week will be central to our own recruitment strategy.
"The success of our business is dependent on the calibre of our staff, and we believe the four day week will give us an edge when it comes to attracting talent. We’re looking forward to beginning our four-day week journey in 2022 and watching our business grow as a result.”
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