New 4-Day Week pilot launches for tech — here’s how to sign up

Tech businesses that are curious about work-life balance are being encouraged to sign up for a new, sector-specific UK trial of the four-day week (4DWW) that launches today.

Run by the 4 Day Week Foundation, the UK’s national campaigning organisation for a 4DWW, companies will be encouraged to trial the policy (where businesses work one day less per week, with no loss of pay) for six months, starting this summer. 

Last November, another UK-wide trial saw 21 organisations switch to a 4DWW for half a year. It is set to end this May, one month before the new, tech-focused trial will begin.

Sam Hunt, Business Network Coordinator at the 4 Day Week Foundation, said: “Nothing better represents the future of work than the tech sector, which we know is an agile industry ripe for embracing new ways of working such as a four-day week.”

How will the trial work?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the four-day week has become more and more popular and is now being trialled and implemented across the world.

In a major UK pilot that took place in 2022, business performance, productivity, and morale all increased for the companies that participated.

Some large retailers have previously backtracked on the policy, such as Asda. However, critics have argued that the policy was implemented incorrectly. Asda managers worked the same hours as their normal five-day week, but these were condensed into fewer days. 

While bosses will have the final say in how the trial is run, the 4 Day Week Foundation recommends a six-month long trial of a four-day, 32-hour working week with no loss of pay.

Participants will be provided with six weeks of training and workshops starting on 22 May. The 4DWW trial is then due to commence on Monday 30 June, with the results due to be assessed by researchers at the University of Sussex and Newcastle University.

Companies interested in signing up for this latest test run can do so via the 4 Day Week website today. Technology and software companies that are interested in learning more can also attend an explainer event at Civo Tech Junction in London on Thursday 17 April.

Tech appetite for 4DWW

At the end of 2024, Startups surveyed 531 small business owners about their workplace model. We found that appetite for a shorter workweek is growing, with 13% saying they wanted to adopt a 4DWW this year, an uplift of 1 percentage point from last year’s figure.

Specifically, one in five technology and software firms said they would be interested in implementing a four-day workweek this year. In fintech alone, the figure was higher, at 39%.

There are a number of cultural reasons why the tech sector is well-suited to a 4DWW. Firms often find the transition smoother due to their widespread adoption of remote work practices, which typically makes them more open to other flexible arrangements. Moreover, the industry’s emphasis on innovation fosters experimentation with new work models and tools.

Digital challenger bank, Atom Bank, is one of the biggest four-day week employers in the UK with over 550 staff. Last June, CEO Mark Mullen said the successful rollout “proved that working practices that may have seemed years away can be introduced rapidly.”

200 companies sign up for permanent 4DWW

In January, the 4 Day Week Foundation announced that over 200 companies in the UK, which includes over 5,000 workers, have permanently adopted a reduced hours four-day week with no loss of pay for employees.

According to the findings, 24 of these companies are from the Technology, IT & Software sector. Another 26 firms have been accredited since January, taking the total number to 226.

“As hundreds of British companies have already shown, a four-day, 32 hour working week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for workers and employers”, says Sam Hunt, Business Network Coordinator at the 4 Day Week Foundation.

“The 9-5, 5 day working week was invented 100 years ago and no longer suits the realities of modern life. We are long overdue for an update.”

The future of work is here, and it might just be four days long. Curious about how the policy works? Find out how one PR brand found success with a four-day week.