The U.K. Launches Biggest Four-Day Work Week Trial in the World

The pandemic, whether we want to admit it or not, has forever changed the complexion and trajectory of both our personal and professional lives.

Some things are never going to be the same, and a lot of old habits and traditions are going to feel even more outdated than they were prior to our global health crisis. Yes, that includes the concept of the five-day work week.

In Britain, the biggest four-day work trial program was launched on Monday, June 6, to challenge prevailing norms and understand workforce behavior. It was launched by the nonprofit groups 4 Day Week Global and 4 Day Week UK Campaign, in collaboration with the organization Autonomy, which studies the effects of labor on our holistic health.

There are roughly 3,300 workers, across 70 companies, that are included in the study. Some of the industries the participants work in include financial services, health care, marketing and retail, banking, and more.

Once the trial period is up, researchers from Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Boston College will do the post-trial evaluation, focusing on the workers' productivity and quality of life during the period. Results will be announced in 2023.

Philippines, When?

The subject of the four-day work week has been floating around for decades. Of course, the pandemic had only accelerated the clamor. Even former United States President Richard Nixon predicted it would happen when he was still only the vice president back in 1956.

In the Philippines' case, government agencies like the Court of Appeals (CA), Sandiganbayan, and Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) have already adopted a four-day work week for its employees earlier this year. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas had even introduced the city's own reduced work-week policy in late March.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua has also long been an advocate of the scheme. He had previously suggested that companies should start restructuring their organizational schedules to implement the new arrangement after the global skyrocketing of oil prices. He also said that it should start with the government. 

This entails that employees would work 10 hours a day, four days a week.

Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez have expressed their support for the proposal, as well. Department of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has backed the proposal, too, saying that the extension of work-from-home arrangements should lessen the number of commuters in Metro Manila.

There are existing policies on alternative work arrangements that are in place that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has allowed for years. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) even tried out a version of the four-day work week a while back.

While some agencies can already implement the scheme, a four-day work week across all government offices would need a presidential memorandum. President Duterte was expected to sign the proposal in March. So far, there has not been an official order yet from the Office of the President.