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rESEARCH

The four-day week: The pandemic and the evolution of flexible working

The four-day week: The pandemic and the evolution of flexible working

Following on from the 2019 ‘Four Better or Four Worse’ White Paper, this report examines whether opinions towards the four-day working week have changed because of the pandemic. Is a four-day working week still preferable to other forms of flexible work? What are the benefits and what are the costs of the four-day working week? Could flexible working be a solution to the ‘Great Resignation’?

REPORT by the Henley Business School - March 2022

A Future Fit for Wales: a shorter working week for all

A Future Fit for Wales: a shorter working week for all

Wales is beset with a number of economic and social problems pertaining to health, income, the social security system and the labour market. This report explores how a reduced working week could impact and improve working life in Wales.

REPORT by Autonomy - February 2022

A shorter working week as part of a green caring economy

A shorter working week as part of a green caring economy

A shorter working week can promote gender-equal distributions in paid work, unpaid work and income.

REPORT by The Women's Budget Group - February 2022

A Four-Day Week for Schools

A Four-Day Week for Schools

An exploratory study on what reduced staff working hours could mean for the teaching profession in the UK, including interviews and polling with staff and employers.

REPORT by Autonomy - January 2022

Building a Shorter Working Week: investigating the potential for a four day week in the construction industry

Building a Shorter Working Week: investigating the potential for a four day week in the construction industry

This report assesses the desirability, feasibility and implementation potential for a four-day
week in the construction sector.

REPORT by the 4 Day Week Campaign - October 2021

Overtime: Why We Need A Shorter Working Week

Overtime: Why We Need A Shorter Working Week

As precarity and low pay become further embedded in the job market, at a time when work-related stress and exhaustion are endemic, it is clear that a new, radical approach to employment is required: the shorter working week.

BOOK by Will Stronge and Kyle Lewis - September 2021

A Shorter Working Week in Government: A worker-led inquiry into desirability, feasibility and impact

A Shorter Working Week in Government: A worker-led inquiry into desirability, feasibility and impact

This report is a worker-led scoping exercise on the feasibility and desirability of a shorter working week within Scottish Government.

REPORT by Autonomy - July 2021

Going Public: Iceland's Journey to a Shorter Working Week

Going Public: Iceland's Journey to a Shorter Working Week

From 2015-2019, Iceland ran two large-scale trials of a reduced working week of 35-36 hours with no reduction in pay. This is an analysis of the results.

REPORT by Autonomy and Iceland's Association for Sustainability and Democracy (Alda) - July 2021

Stop the Clock: the environmental benefits of a shorter working week

Stop the Clock: the environmental benefits of a shorter working week

The introduction of a four-day working week with no loss of pay could shrink the UK’s carbon footprint by 127 million tonnes per year by 2025.

REPORT by Platform London - May 2021

The Day After Tomorrow: stress tests, affordability and the roadmap to the four day week

The Day After Tomorrow: stress tests, affordability and the roadmap to the four day week

The study utilises profitability statistics on over 50,000 leading UK businesses for the first time to see whether firms could afford to switch to a four-day (32 hour) working week.

REPORT by Autonomy - December 2020

The Case for a Four Day Week

The Case for a Four Day Week

Not so long ago, people thought that a ten-hour, six-day week was normal; now, it’s the eight-hour, five-day week. Will that soon be history too? Three leading experts argue why it should be and map out a pragmatic pathway to a shorter working week that safeguards earnings for the lower-paid and keeps the economy flourishing.

BOOK by Anna Coote, Aidan Harper and Alfie Stirling - November 2020

Burnout Britain: Overwork in an Age of Unemployment

Burnout Britain: Overwork in an Age of Unemployment

A report on the impact of Covid-19 on overwork, mental health and burnout. The report found that since the start of the pandemic, mental health has deteriorated further. In contrast to common narratives, this is because many are people working longer hours as a result of crisis, not shorter.

REPORT by the 4 Day Week Campaign, Compass and Autonomy - October 2020

Public Sector as Pioneer: shorter working weeks as the new gold standard

Public Sector as Pioneer: shorter working weeks as the new gold standard

A shorter working week in the public sector (with no loss in pay) is badly needed: burn out, work-related poor mental health and bad work-life balance plague public sector staff across organisations. It could create between 300,000 and 500,000 new jobs and pioneer a new standard for all employment in the UK.

REPORT by Autonomy - August 2020

Shorter: how working less will revolutionise the way your company gets things done

Shorter: how working less will revolutionise the way your company gets things done

Forget the old concept of the 9-5. In a changing world, companies around the globe are redesigning the working week to increase efficiency, health, productivity and happiness in their employees. Now you can do the same.

BOOK by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang - March 2020

The shorter working week: a radical and pragmatic proposal

The shorter working week: a radical and pragmatic proposal

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of why we need a shorter working week now and how to get there in the UK.

REPORT by Autonomy - January 2019

Four-Day Week in the NHS

Four-Day Week in the NHS

Published by the 4 Day Week Campaign, this report calls for trials of a four-day, 32 hour working week for NHS staff to boost job retention.

The report has been backed by public health expert Professor John Ashton.

The Results Are In: The UK's Four-Day Week Pilot

The Results Are In: The UK's Four-Day Week Pilot

The results of the world's biggest four-day week pilot involving 61 UK Companies.

Report by Autonomy - February 2023

4 Day Week Handbook

4 Day Week Handbook

Written by the director of the UK's 4 Day Week campaign, the 4 Day Week Handbook shows why businesses, charities, councils and other entities should implement more efficient working hours (with no loss of pay). And, importantly, how.

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