Four day compressed hours won’t be like Bank Holiday weeks, warn unions (2024)

Workers in the UK could gain the right to request a four-day working week under new government plans – but it won’t be the same as a “bank holiday style” shorter week, unions have said.

Plans being considered by Labour as part of their new package for workers could see employees get the right to a four-day working week.

This would come in the form of “compressed hours”, where workers are allowed to work their regular hours over four days, instead of five.

However, it won’t herald the start of “bank holiday style” weekends every week as employees will still need to work their contracted hours, even if they choose to do it through working longer hours over fewer days.

Fran Heathcote, Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union general secretary, told i: “It’s welcome the government is taking seriously the idea of a four-day week, which has proved popular with employers and workers where it has been trialled in the public and private sectors.

“The Government, though, should not confuse the option of working compressed hours with a shortened working week, which has been shown to improve productivity – and especially benefits those with caring responsibilities, more often than not women workers.

“The four-day week or shortened working hours could be a key tool in eradicating the gender pay gap.”

Christina McAnea, Unison general secretary told i that “quality of life has become ever more important to everyone”.

“Allowing staff greater flexibility with work patterns can be a major factor in recruiting and keeping people. It also leads to a happier, more efficient workforce,” she added.

“The pandemic showed how it’s possible to make changes to the normal routine without affecting productivity.

“It clearly won’t be practical for every job to switch to a four-day week. But for those workers who can, it makes perfect sense.”

Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary for for TSSA, the independent trade union for the transport and travel trade industries, told i a four-day week could improve safety by ensuring transport workers are well rested.

The spokesperson said: “In transport, we firmly believe that tired workers are not safe workers, especially in safety-critical roles where even a moment’s lapse can have serious consequences.

“A four-day work week would help ensure our staff are well-rested, focused, and fully capable of performing their duties to the highest safety standards.”

Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, told i: “Good employers already recognise the benefits flexible working can bring to their workforces and businesses, whether it’s through increasing staff productivity or higher retention.

“Offering people flexible working arrangements makes good economic sense. It helps more people back into work and keeps more people in work, allowing workers to balance their professional and personal lives.

“This is about developing patterns of work needed for a modern economy and a modern workforce. The bad faith arguments being advanced by the likes of the Conservatives are simply out of date and do not stack up.”

Matthew Percival, director of Future of Work at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said flexible working “depends on the job”, and some workforces might not all be able to have flexibility at the same time if it means they cannot meet customer demands.

He said: “Businesses support making asking for flexible working a day one right because good conversations about what can be mutually beneficial shouldn’t be unduly delayed.

“When the Government sets out how it wants to change this law, businesses will be looking to see that it doesn’t become prohibitively difficult or expensive to say ‘no’ to unreasonable requests.”

Ben Willmott, head of public policy for the CIPD, the professional body for human resources, said the Government should “take stock” of recent rule changes around employment, which allow people to request flexible working when they start new jobs, before making more changes.

He said: “Flexible working arrangements such as compressed hours, job sharing and term-time working can help people balance their work and home life commitments, while also supporting employer efforts to recruit and retain staff.

“However, flexible working has to work for both the business and workers if it’s to be sustainable and this needs to be recognised in any changes to regulation.

“It would make sense for the Government to take stock of the impact of recent changes introduced only in April to enable people to request flexible working from day one of employment, before seeking to make further changes.”

The Government has denied it will force businesses to allow staff to work a four-day week but said it supports flexible working.

Education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith dismissed the report in The Daily Telegraph that Labour’s Make Work Pay plans could force businesses to accept employees’ demands for a four-day week.

Conservative shadow business secretary Kevin Hollinrake claimed businesses are “petrified” about the plans.

But a Department for Business and Trade spokesperson denied claims that the Government would “impose” the working pattern on businesses.

Opening up compressed hours to more workers would not result in bank holiday-style weekends each week as employees would usually need to work their contracted hours, even if they chose to work them over fewer days.

When asked about jobs such as teachers who would not be able to do a four-day week using compressed hours, Lady Smith said: “Well, no, and nor can lots of other people, but that doesn’t mean that those people that can do it shouldn’t have the ability to do it.”