Is working four days a week better than five?

Bradford-based supermarket chain Morrisons has just axed four-day working weeks for its head office staff.

Meanwhile, just nine miles to the east in Leeds, rivals Asda are trialling them for their store managers.

In 2022 a study involving 61 UK firms found shorter working weeks had many benefits, particularly for employees' well-being.

But, with opinions seemingly split, the BBC took to the streets of West Yorkshire to ask people what they preferred.

'Four days would be lovely'

Jeannie Smith likes working conventional hours

Jeannie Smith works from 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday as a volunteer services coordinator for Bradford Council.

Speaking as she took a walk through the city on her lunch break, she said her current situation "really suits my personal life".

"I do do flexi, so sometimes I might be called upon to work a weekend or a late evening, but generally those are my hours.

"I'd probably not choose to work longer [hours] but maybe take a reduced [number of days] and do four days.

"Four days would be lovely."

'You don't get any continuity'

Derrick Smith would love to change his current shift pattern

Bus driver Derrick Smith, 60, was just about to start his shift from the temporary station in Jacobs Well in Bradford.

"I'm coming up to a long weekend, so I'd be at work for eight days then get four days off. Then seven after that.

"So my hours are completely different each week."

Mr Smith said he did not like his current shift patterns.

He said they were the most variable he had had compared to previous jobs.

"I'd like five days a week [with] two days off, but, we can't get that in bus driving," he said.

"It's fixed. We get a rota and until it changes for, like, hours going forward or kids going on holiday, that's the only time it does change.

"I'd like it if I could get two days together even, because I'll be off Sunday, in Monday then off Tuesday.

"It's very broken up and you don't get any continuity."

'I'll go for it'

Bantu Mwaura is open to working a four-day week

Bantu Mwaura, 50, is a welder and works five days a week, starting at 2pm and finishing at 10pm.

He works on a production line for a firm that running a 24-hour operation manufacturing metal doors and windows.

"There are three shifts - six [in the morning] until two, two till ten and ten to six.

"I'm kind of used to it now. I've done night shifts, I've done the morning shifts now I'm on afternoon shifts.

"[Four-day weeks] have been mentioned, but I don't know how it will work. But if it does then I would be happy with it.

"Yeah, I'm happy with it whatever happens. They want shorter days, I'll go for it, as long as the work is there."

'Productivity goes up'

Claire Daniels is the CEO of Chapel Allerton-based company Trio Media in Leeds.

She introduced a four-day working week with reduced hours after trialling it in 2022.

"For us it was really important that the business still remained open five days a week because that's when our customers need us," she said.

"So we staggered the team's days off and half of them work Monday to Thursday and the other half work Tuesday to Friday.

"Everyone has the benefit of a three-day weekend.

"The actual premise of the four-day week model is that you do work less hours, you keep the same pay and everything else, but your productivity goes up.

"That's what the research suggests, that we're not productive for 40 hours a week anyway.

"It's about putting in the work to address those problems and get the same output from people in less time when they have a better work/life balance."

'No reason why not'

Professor David Spencer, from the Business School at the University of Leeds, said any logistical problems a four-day week caused could be overcome

Professor David Spencer, from the Business School at the University of Leeds said he supports the idea of a four-day week and believes Morrisons did not quite get it right.

"It wasn't quite a four-day week; it was a reduction in hours from 40 to 37.5 hours, so only a small reduction," he said

"And workers were then expected to do near enough the same work in four days that they did in five.

"So there were limited benefits to workers in that sense."

He said the deal also involved having to work more Saturdays, which led to workers pushing back against the trial.

"I think the general point is that there maybe logistical issues, but these issues can be overcome.

"A more general point to make is that if we look at history we adapted to a five-day week.

"We moved from a six-day week to a five-day week. And we overcame logistical issues in terms of shifting shift patterns.

"There's no reason why we couldn't adjust to a four-day week as well, with a four-day, 32-hour week rather than a 40-hour week."

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