The TUC today calls for a four-day working week

“Many employers are already going to great lengths to make the lives of their staff easier and more family friendly with flexible working now a high priority for most HR teams.  Ideas from the USA and Europe, such as staff choosing the amount of holiday taken and strict ‘no work out of hours’ policies, are also beginning to find their way into UK employment practices.

“But while employees would no doubt welcome a four-day working week, employers may need a lot of convincing about the TUC’s view that AI and technological developments can create sufficient economic benefit to achieve this.

“And in some sectors a move to a four-day week may prove all but impossible: it is difficult to see how the NHS, GP surgeries and healthcare providers for example, could currently accommodate a four-day working week when they are already stretched. And the same could be said of retail and hospitality, where the demand for 24-7 service is unlikely to diminish.

“Some employees will fear that a move to a four-day week would just mean them having to somehow manage to fit five days’ work into just four – and that could prove to be stressful resulting in increased sickness and absences.”