200 U.K. companies have opted for a four-day workweek, latest data shows
The four-day workweek continues to capture interest in the U.K., with 200 companies now adopting the practice, according to the latest data from the 4 Day Week Foundation.
3 things to know
- The companies employ more than 5,000 workers between them, and received the accreditation from the 4 Day Week Foundation, an independent group that ramped up campaigning on the issue during the COVID pandemic.
- The group says its accreditation criteria recognizes a four-day, 32-hour working week with no loss of pay as “gold standard,” and a four-day, 35-hour working week as “silver standard.”
- The industries most represented among the companies include marketing and PR, charities and nonprofits, and technology.
Want just the right amount of economics sent to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to the Planet Money newsletter.
Where have I heard about this?
The four-day week has been a buzzy topic for a while now, and particularly since the post-COVID upheaval of the 9 to 5 daily commute. NPR’s Andrea Hsu has reported on the earlier experiments by the U.K. campaigners and how most companies that trialed shorter weeks ended up keeping them.
The concept has also found roots in the U.S. One hospital in New Jersey recently moved nurse managers to a four-day workweek to help combat burnout and high turnover.
And some school districts in the U.S. have adopted a shorter school week to address similar issues for teachers.
Dive deeper with NPR
- What’s the work conversation looking like Stateside? Read about President Trump’s plan to bring federal workers back to the office.
- Listen to The Indicator podcast for a quick hit of insight into work, business and the economy.
He lost his first LA Marathon medal in the fires — this weekend he got his second
15-year-old fire survivor Abel Rivera's home in Altadena burned down in January, and he lost everything — including his medal for finishing the 2024 LA Marathon.
A U.S. airman is charged in death of a South Dakota woman who had vanished in August
Quinterius Chappelle was arrested on a federal charge of second-degree murder in the death of Sahela Sangrait, according to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office.
Harvard will be free for students whose families make $100,000 or less
The expanded financial aid plan will also offer free tuition to families that make $200,000 or less. The move comes after affirmative action was barred from the admissions process.
Judge seeks sworn declaration from Justice Department in deportation case
At issue was whether plane-loads of alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang were deported despite the judge's order to turn the planes around.
The VA will deny gender dysphoria treatment to new patients
While the VA never offered gender-affirming surgery, it did offer treatments like hormone therapy. The agency says less than than 0.1% of the 9 million veterans it provides care for identify as trans.
Pentagon website removes, then restores, page honoring Black Medal of Honor recipient
Charles C. Rogers was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon in 1970. But a profile of the Vietnam War veteran was caught in an "auto removal process," the Defense Department says.
