More than 3,000 workers at 70 UK companies will test a four-day work week during a six-month trial period. Employers must provide full pay to workers, provided they maintain at least 100 percent productivity.

– The UK is on the cusp of a long four-day working week. Workers know they can produce better results if they work less, but are smarter, says Joe O’Connor, CEO of 4 Day Week Global.

Participating companies are in a wide range of sectors – from banking, IT development, real estate, home care, construction and catering industries to name a few.

The trial was organized by 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College, according to Bloomberg.

Researchers will measure its impact on employee productivity and well-being, as well as its impact on the work environment and gender equality.

– Now that we are out of the pandemic, some companies are realizing that the competition for talent has increased. Improved quality of life, reduced working hours and production-focused performance are now considered important competitive advantages, he continued.

The researchers will analyze how employees react to extra days off, in terms of stress and fatigue, work and life satisfaction, health, sleep, energy use, and travel.

Ed Siegel, CEO of Charity Bank, who participated in the pilot, said: “We have long been champions of flexible work, but the pandemic has really highlighted this. For Charity Bank, the transition to four days is the next step.”

“The five-day work week doesn’t fit into the 21st century,” Siegel said.

“We believe that four days a week with no change in pay or benefits will create a happier workforce and will have the same positive impact on company productivity, customer experience and our social mission.”