Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent in southern Lebanon: An Israeli drone strike targeted the town of Yater, South Lebanon
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One martyr and five wounded in an Israeli drone strike on a car in Al-Numayriyeh, Nabatieh District.
Al Mayadeen correspondent to Gaza: The areas required to be evacuated in western Gaza contain tens of thousands of displaced people.
Al-Mayadeen correspondent to Gaza: The Israeli evacuation threats are for areas the occupation considers safe, deep within western Gaza.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister: Beirut has not received any official memorandum from Syria, neither through the Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic channels nor via the joint Lebanese-Syrian committee.
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister told Al Mayadeen that he has not received any official notification regarding a potential visit by his Syrian counterpart to Beirut
Russia calls for the continuation of ceasefire between "Israel" and Iran without any breaks: Lavrov
The Israeli military command confirmed the death of an officer—a commander serving as a team leader in the elite 1st Golani Brigade’s Patrol Battalion—during intense confrontations in the southern Gaza Strip
Israeli media: An Israeli guard was killed in a shooting attack at the Gush Etzion Junction, and those who carried out the operation were injured
Ofer Military Court extended Nasser al-Lahham's detention for three days

Two hundred UK companies sign up for permanent four-day working week

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 27 Jan 2025 09:11
3 Min Read

Reports show a total of 200 companies have embraced shorter workweeks, citing benefits like improved employee retention and productivity with the same output in fewer hours.

Listen
  • x
  • A jogger runs across Westminster bridge with the Houses of Parliament in the background in London, on June 24, 2016. (AP)
    A jogger runs across Westminster Bridge with the Houses of Parliament in the background in London, on June 24, 2016. (AP)

In a significant milestone in the effort to redefine Britain's working week, 200 UK companies have committed to implementing a permanent four-day workweek for all employees, without any reduction in pay.

Collectively, these companies employ over 5,000 workers, with charities, marketing agencies, and technology firms among the most well-represented sectors, according to the latest update from the 4 Day Week Foundation.

Advocates of the four-day workweek argue that the traditional five-day schedule is an outdated relic of a bygone economic era. Joe Ryle, the campaign director for the 4 Day Week Foundation, stated, "The 9-5, five-day working week was invented 100 years ago and is no longer fit for purpose. We are long overdue an update."

With "50% more free time, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives", he continued. "As hundreds of British companies and one local council have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers."

Related News

UK role in training Israeli pilots for combat jets exposed

UK doctors cut ties with Israeli medical body over Gaza genocide

Marketing, advertising, and public relations firms led the shift, with 30 companies adopting the four-day workweek, followed by 29 in charity, NGO, and social care, 24 in technology, IT, and software, and 22 in business, consulting, and management.

In total, 200 companies have committed to shorter workweeks, a move supporters argue enhances employee attraction and retention while boosting productivity by maintaining the same output in fewer hours. London-based firms have shown the greatest enthusiasm for the shift, accounting for 59 of the total.

According to the report, however, the shift highlights a widening divide in the cultural debate over working patterns, which were significantly disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many employees, the focus remains on securing the right to continue working from home, let alone reducing the number of working days.

US-based companies, including JPMorgan Chase and Amazon, have enforced some of the strictest return-to-office mandates, requiring employees to be physically present five days a week. Meanwhile, Lloyds Banking Group is reportedly evaluating whether senior staff are meeting their in-office attendance targets as a factor in determining annual bonuses.

On that note, some employees who continue to benefit from the flexibility of remote work have pushed back against return-to-office mandates. Notably, a group of staff at Starling Bank resigned after the CEO required thousands of employees to increase their in-office attendance.

  • United Kingdom

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Concrete and rubble fall from a heavily damaged building as Israeli soldiers search for survivors in a residential area hit by a missile fired from Iran, near Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, Sunday, June 15, 2025 (AP)

'Israel' concealed damage inflicted by Iran in war, report finds

  • Politics
  • 5 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Yemenis burn US and Israeli flags during an anti-US and anti-Israeli weekly rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 20, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Sanaa slams UN envoy over biased statement on Red Sea operations

Palestinians carry the body of Abdul Qusay Issa, 23, who was killed in an Israeli military raid, during his funeral at the West Bank village of Salem, near Nablus, Sunday, July 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli settlers kill Palestinian youth in brutal West Bank assault

Vehicles drive past a banner showing portraits of the Iranian armed forces commanders and nuclear scientists who were killed in an Israeli strike, at Tajrish Square in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 30, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran envisions a resistant, independent Middle East, Larijani says

An al-Qassam Brigades fighter stands over the corpse of an Israeli soldier killed in Khan Younis, Gaza, in footage published on July 10, 2025 (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)
Politics

Al-Qassam kill Israeli soldier in new 'scandal' for Israeli forces

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS