UK workers are set to win new work reforms including the four days work schedule as the Labour government plans to improve flexibility.
Under the new flexible working bill, UK workers can demand a compression of their weekly work hours into four days. This would let employees work 10 hours a day compared to the default of five eight hours a day.
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However, under the new proposed bill, employers can only refuse compressed hours to staff if they can prove it is “not reasonably feasible”.
The newly implemented system is different from the much-campaigned-for four-day week, where workers reduce their hours by 20% without a pay cut while maintaining their previous levels of productivity.
The compressed week proposal is part of a swathe of new initiatives to give U.K. workers more flexible working arrangements and bring the country closer in line with other European nations.
The government is reportedly planning to introduce new “right to switch off” legislation that could see employers fined if they frequently send their employees out-of-hours communications.
Proponents of compressed hours say that in practice it allows workers to do the same amount of work in four days that they would in five, at least maintaining previous productivity levels.
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This will also give employees more time to spend with their family and friends and spend less on childcare.
Most U.K. companies that took part in the world’s largest four-day week trial permanently rolled out the set-up a year after it was introduced, with most workers reporting a decrease in burnout and many companies enjoying increased revenues.