Public asked for views on four-day week

The trial of a four-day week trial was introduced for office workers at South Cambridgeshire District Council in January 2023

People will be asked to give their views on council staff working a four-day week.

A public consultation will be held on a trial taking place at South Cambridgeshire District Council, where some staff do 100% of their work in 80% of their hours for the same pay.

Residents will be able to share their experiences of using council services before and during the change in working hours.

The trial for desk-based staff was introduced at the start of 2023. It was then expanded to include staff working in the waste collection service.

The authority began the four-day week experiment to see if it would help with staff recruitment and retention.

Members of the public answering the survey will also be asked if they would be more or less likely to apply for a job if a four-day week was offered.

The Liberal Democrat council leader Bridget Smith told councillors at Thursday's scrutiny and overview committee meeting that the consultation had been set up with the help of an independent organisation.

The consultation is expected to run for six weeks from 27 January.