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Over 3,300 workers at 70 UK firms are starting a four-day work week from Monday with no cut to their pay in the largest trial of its kind.
The pilot scheme, which will last for six months, involves thousands of workers, ranging from a local fish and chip shop to large financial companies.
The programme is being organised by not-for-profit 4 Day Week Global, Autonomy, a think tank, and the 4 Day Week UK Campaign in partnership with researchers from the Cambridge University, the Oxford University and the Boston College.
During the trial, the staff will get 100% pay for 80% of the hours they would usually work, with the aim of being more productive.
Calls to shorten the work week have gathered steam in recent years in many countries amid the pandemic. As lakhs of employees switched to remote work during Covid-19 — cutting onerous commuting time and costs — calls for greater flexibility have only grown louder.
A similar trials of a four-day week in Iceland became an "overwhelming success" and led to many workers moving to shorter hours, researchers have said.
The trials, in which workers were paid the same amount for shorter hours, took place between 2015 and 2019.
Productivity remained the same or improved in the majority of workplaces, researchers said.
Government-backed trials will take place in Spain and Scotland later this year, the 4 Day Week Campaign stated in a press release.
What India's plan entails?
India too has some similar plans in this front. As the Centre finalises the rules for the new labour codes, the Labour Ministry is now considering giving flexibility to firms to have four working days instead of five or six.
The government is expected to implement the four new labour codes on wages, social security, industrial relations and occupation safety, health and working conditions, in the next financial year, which will pave the way for a four-day workweek.
Under these new codes, a number of aspects related to work culture, including take-home salary of the employees, working hours and the number of weekdays will be changed, news agency PTI reported.
The report claims that the government has already finalised the rules under these codes and now states are required to frame regulations on their part as labour is a concurrent subject.
Besides this, the ministry has made it clear that even if the proposal comes through, employees have to work 12 hours on these four days, which is a 48-hour weekly work requirement that has to be met.
An important change that will be introduced in the four-day workweek would be a reduction in taking home pay and employees and firms will have to bear a higher provident fund liability.
According to reports, there will be more money in PFs and less in-hand salary.