Four-day week jobs you can apply for in May 2024

Our monthly guide to the best open job roles with a four-day week for the ultimate work-life balance benefit.

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May’s arrival brings the joy of two bank holidays for UK workers and with it, a taste of a three-day weekend. For those looking to enjoy this perk all year-round, it’s time to apply for a job at a company with a four-day week.

The four-day week (where employees work one day less per week but earn the same salary and benefits) has become one of the most sought-after benefits in today’s workforce.

After successful trials revealed significant business benefits, more vacancies with a four-day work schedule are opening up as employers get on board the trend. In fact, a Startups survey recently uncovered that 12% of UK SMEs planned to adopt the policy this year.

If you want greater work-life balance then switching to a four-day work week could be a smart career move. Read on for a list of the best four-day week jobs to apply for this month.

Four-day week jobs at Awin

Awin is a global marketing company that specialises in affiliate partnerships. It became something of a trail-blazer for the four-day week movement when it introduced a flexi-work policy to its 1,300-strong workforce last year.

All employees are able to take the equivalent of one day off per week. That means they can choose to work either four full days or three full-days and two half-days.

Awin’s shift change has clearly won favour with the workforce. On Glassdoor, the company has a high employee rating of 4.4 out of 5, and it also came #34 in the job rating platform’s list of the Best Places to Work in 2023.

It’s also done nothing to slow growth, as the company is hiring no fewer than eight vacancies in the London office published on its careers site this month. These include:

  • Account Consultant
  • Global Account Manager
  • Affiliate Marketing Account Manager
  • Product Operations Manager
  • X2 Customer Support Assistant roles (German-speaking)
  • Brand Partnership Consultant
  • Commercial Executive
  • Junior Account Executive

Four-day week jobs at Sensat

London-based software company, Sensat placed second in last year’s Startups 100 company thanks to its innovative technology and impressive growth story. It’s raised millions in investment and partnered with huge construction companies.

However, as well as being one of the most exciting startups in the UK right now, Sensat is also a great employer when it comes to employee benefits. Every Sensat role comes with the option to work a four-day week, as well as:

  • £500 annual training budget
  • New Mac computer
  • Regular social events

It’s also B-Corp certified, meaning Sensat is a mission-driven company that meets excellent ethical and environmental standards.

At the moment, the business is only hiring for one role and it’s very specialist. The Geospatial Data Capture and Processing Engineer vacancy is open to anyone with data processing experience and familiarity with specific technologies.

That said, Sensat also has a ‘general’ job application form open on its website for anyone who is eager to work at Sensat and wants to pitch their skills to the board.

Four-day week jobs at Bulkhead

Work hard, play hard? Based in Derby’s Cardinal Square (but with a second office in Manchester) Bulkhead is a computer games company that currently employs around 120 people in the UK.

As one of the first large studio firms to introduce a four-day week, Bulkhead has established itself as Player One in the four-day week game. Adding to this flexibility, Bulkhead’s roles all boast a hybrid work pattern.

The firm’s four-day week is aimed at helping workers level-up their health and wellbeing, and it has plenty of other perks to serve that goal including free healthcare, dental care, and eye care, as well as a discounted gym membership.

The company is currently undergoing a big recruitment drive. Ten positions recently posted on the company career portal include:

  • Gameplay Programmer (Derby)
  • Recruitment Administrator (Derby)
  • Senior Graphics Programmer (Derby)
  • UI Programmer (Derby)
  • Lead QA Tester (Derby)
  • Senior Gameplay Programmer (Manchester)
  • Junior Gameplay Programmer (Manchester)
  • Gameplay Programmer (Manchester)
  • Senior Gameplay Designer (Manchester)
  • Senior Producer (Manchester)

Four-day week jobs at Evolved Search

Geordie marketing agency Evolved Search is based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It has repeatedly been spotlighted for its emphasis on company culture and was certified as one of the best workplaces in Europe in last year’s Great Place To Work awards.

Specialising in ecommerce marketing, Evolved Search is switched onto the benefits of working online and all roles are fully hybrid.

As well as a four-day week, workers also get free premium healthcare and enhanced parental leave policies around maternity and paternity leave and pay.

And, if another 52 days off work wasn’t enough for you, the company still offers an enhanced holiday package of up to 36 days in total, meaning staff can still take blocks of time away from the desk to travel or enjoy yet more R&R.

Currently, the firm is hiring for a Digital PR Executive. However, like Sensat, job hunters can also upload their CV to its career portal if they are interested in working at the company.

Four-day week jobs at SEOMG!

Even if it didn’t have a four-day week, life would be a beach working at this creative marketing firm. Based in the seaside town of Brighton, SEOMG! is an SEO agency (hence the name) that prides itself on caring for customers and employees equally.

The firm has offered a four-day week since its inception in 2020. However, it does things a little differently to other adopters.

As a customer-facing business, SEOMG! is fully-staffed throughout the week, which means staff don’t have Fridays off. Instead, the team alternates between having Monday, Wednesday, and Friday off – allowing the business to always be ‘on’, while still enabling flexible hours for employees.

As an added incentive for job seekers, SEOMG! roles are hybrid. You can divide your work week as two days at home, and two days in the office (which comes complete with sea views). Currently, SEOMG! is hiring for two positions:

  • Senior B2B PR Manager
  • Senior SEO Consultant

You can also head over to the SEOMG! jobs page to submit your CV directly to the business in case of any open positions.

Does your business work a four-day week? Are you planning on hiring this May? Get in touch and let us know, by emailing hello@startups.co.uk.

Written by:
Helena Young
Helena is Lead Writer at Startups. As resident people and premises expert, she's an authority on topics such as business energy, office and coworking spaces, and project management software. With a background in PR and marketing, Helena also manages the Startups 100 Index and is passionate about giving early-stage startups a platform to boost their brands. From interviewing Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin to spotting data-led working from home trends, her insight has been featured by major trade publications including the ICAEW, and news outlets like the BBC, ITV News, Daily Express, and HuffPost UK.

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