Fewer working hours should be “a natural and desirable outcome of a progressive society”, reckons economic historian Robert Skidelsky. Unilever concurs. The consumer goods group is switching its New Zealand staff to a four-day working week for a five-day salary. If successful, the switch could apply across the group globally.
There are multiple advantages beyond a Friday morning lie-in. Happier staff work better. Reduced office space and commutes pay a green dividend too. Henley Business School found that companies operating on four days saved a total of £92bn, or 2 per cent of annual sales.
Workers should not hold their breath. Trials, both at country and company levels, have failed to spark a revolution. France’s 35-hour-week réduction du temps de travail, introduced in 1998, was weakened by subsequent governments as employers extracted concessions.
Research charity Wellcome concluded the switch was “too operationally complex”. British bosses have
