Will 2022 be the year the four-day work week takes off?

With a new pilot programme launching in the UK later this year, the prospect of a shorter working week seems closer than ever before

Businesses are well versed in the potential benefits a four-day week presents. From greater productivity to improved work/life balance and reduced burnout, the body of evidence suggests a shorter work week could have benefits for both employees and employers.

But despite a large-scale trial in Iceland, the wider adoption of a four-day week has so far been slow. So what will it take to turn the four-day week from a utopic vision into a business reality?

Thinktank Autonomy and the 4 Day Week Campaign hope that a new pilot programme will provide some of the answers. Run in conjunction with researchers from the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Boston College, the six-month trial will follow the progress of roughly 30 companies in introducing a four-day week.