Brighton businesses to trial four-day working week as part of University of Sussex project

Employees taking part in the trial will receive 100% of their salary for 80% of their working hours. Credit: PA/Wires

Businesses in Brighton are being urged to sign up to a four-day working week trial.

The project by the University of Sussex is running for three months and will measure the biological benefits of reduced working hours alongside business performance.

The university says early research has shown significant staff benefits.

It comes just a few days after proposals that would effectively bring forward a four-day working week, cleared their first parliamentary hurdle.

Labour MP Peter Dowd told the House of Commons its “time for change” as he made the case for a shorter working week, insisting it would be good for the economy, workers and the environment.

Under the plans, the official working week would be reduced from 48 to 32 hours and any work beyond that would have to be paid by employers as overtime, at 1.5 times the ordinary rate of pay.

The findings of the Brighton study will be presented at 'The science behind the 4 day week', on Wednesday 26 October at Brighton Girls School on Montpelier Road.

Employees taking part in the trial will receive 100% of their wage for working 80% of their normal work hours.

The three month University of Sussex trial will measure the biological benefits of reduced working hours alongside business performance.

Currently being trialled by six Brighton businesses, employees have been undertaking a series of assessments, ranging from in-depth questionnaires to in-person biological tests such as MRI scans and blood tests, to track the psychological and physical impact of working four instead of five days a week.

Dr Charlotte Rae, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Sussex, said: "It's been widely argued for a while now that the five-day, 9-5 working week is outdated and no longer fit-for-purpose for various reasons, including significant health, cost and environmental ones.

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"However, it is only through trials like ours that we are finally getting the scientific data to properly support this.

"Our research is showing that a four-day working week can provide huge benefits not only for staff wellbeing, but also overall workplace performance.

"We hope as many local employers as possible will join us at The Science behind the 4 day week event, and that after hearing our results and how a four-day week works in practice from panel members, will be inspired to also take part in our trial.

"By doing so, they will not only be supporting important research, but hopefully will also experience valuable benefits for their business and workforce."