There has been much discussion about how the Covid-19 pandemic has shifted ideas about how we live and work.
Recruiters say that new priorities among employees has led to mobility in the labour market - dubbed the 'great resignation' - with workers leaving jobs to follow their dreams or to avoid returning to an industry that feels insecure or unsafe.
And with Brexit compounding staff shortages, it is the firms that can offer the best terms and conditions that are going to attract and retain staff.
The four-day week is being looked at with fresh eyes against this backdrop- but how easy is it to do in practice?
We take a look at some recent converts, how they are doing it and whether it's all it's cracked up to be.
Which firms have a four-day week?
Big name employers like Zurich and Unilever have adopted the four-day week alongside other flexi-working patterns to encourage diversity in the workplace.
Smaller companies are trialling it too with some going even further on the alternative working model.
Energy retailer Love Energy Savings is allowing staff to set their own working hours as well as letting them work from any location of their choosing.
Introduced in response to the changing nature of the workplace post-Covid, the policy dubbed “Flexible-Flexible” has been implemented as the business, based in Bolton, Greater Manchester, seeks to double its headcount.
It's not just the big firms doing it.
Portcullis Legals in Plymouth made global headlines when it introduced the four-day week in 2019.
And London-based data Infrastructure company Pool has become one of the newest firms to switch - taking its 13 employees to a 32 hour four-day week with no cut in pay from the start of this month.
The start-up founded by author, and former Guardian investigative journalist Shiv Malik last month closed £2.74m in investment and is currently valued at £28.8m.
Mr Malik, CEO of Pool, and co-author of Jilted Generation: How Britain Bankrupted its Youth , said: "It’s a huge move for any workplace to make, but after having studied the evidence, we realise it will bring a substantial productivity gain and also allow us to attract more world-leading talent in an incredibly competitive market."
In the UK a four-day week pilot programme has been launched by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with leading think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College.
The organisers are aiming to sign up at least 30 companies to the pilot and have been inundated with hundreds of organisations registering their interest in taking part.
Joe Ryle, Campaign Director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said the response has been phenomenal with hundreds of companies showing their interest in taking part.
He said: “The UK seems ready for a four-day week.”
How can we make it work?
Shai and Naomi Aharony, Managing Directors of London digital marketing agency Reboot have reported a 702% increase in output since introducing a four-day working week without a cut in pay or holiday entitlement.
They say it’s the best business move they've made since founding in 2012.
Here are their three top tips to make it work.
Run a trial period - we piloted a four day week before moving full-time. This allows for any issues and tweaks to be made to the process before fully committing
Conduct anonymous surveys - asking employees what they truly think about the four-day working week, as well as positives and negatives to the initiative, provides a clear picture of the reality. We found that 1 in 5 employees had a better work-life balance since introducing the scheme which showed us it was worth our while
Continue to monitor success - it’s important not to micromanage, but it’s really important to stay on top of results. Ask clients for regular feedback and reviews to ensure both the quality and quantity of work is up to scratch - if it’s remained the same, the four day week is clearly a success.
What model to choose?
Broadly, there are two models.
One involves an employee working reduced hours over four days with no reduction in pay. Their full- time employee status, NI contributions, pension and annual leave is unaffected,
The alternative approach involves an employee working a compressed week of longer hours over four days.
The 4-Day Week Campaign is calling for a 32-hour working week with no pay reduction.
It lobbies for government support, states that the UK works longer hours than most of Europe, yet instead of making us more productive, we are more stressed and overworked.
Trials in Iceland between 2015-2019 proved very successful, with productivity remaining the same or improving in most workplaces. As a result, 86% of Iceland’s workforce has moved to shorter hours (albeit not all four-day working weeks) for the same pay or will get the right to do so.
Scotland is now trialling a four-day week without any loss of pay.
What do you say?
Ecological and arboricultural consultancy firm Arbtech Consulting Ltd, based in Broughton, Flintshire, published their findings after piloting the four-day week.
Unlike trials in Iceland - where working hours were reduced - the firm saw the staff work their usual weekly hours but over four days rather than five, meaning 10 hour days.
Senior ecologist Natalie Evans said she'd felt an improved work-life balance.
She said: "It has been interesting to see if I could still be productive and have this better balance. It’s been great to have the extra day off work to do all the life admin and chores that normally have to be done at the weekend; instead, you can then relax – that has been the biggest bonus.
But while senior arboriculturist Aran Nearn started the trial with enthusiasm, after a week he decided to abandon it as he felt he lost all flexibility in his working week.
In a BusinessLive survey, we asked both employees and business owners whether the time is right for a shift in working patterns.
Of the employers who did have a four-day week or flexible working policy, 63% said they have a more engaged workforce, 25% said they had better staff retention and 13% had a more diverse and inclusive team.
Asked what the downsides are, business owners responded that holiday cover and rotas for seven-day operations can be a challenge while not all staff are prepared to help out in emergencies or for overtime.
