When it comes to flexible working, the buzzword at the moment is the four-day working week. Several high-profile companies have already begun to trial this, while other organisations are investigating what it could mean. This paper highlights some of the benefits and limitations of the four-day working week as perceived by employees and business leaders. 

Key findings:

• Some organisations are already offering a four-day working week and as a result, they are seeing improvements in employee satisfaction, increased staff productivity and a reduction in sickness absence.
• Other businesses have concerns about the practicalities of implementing such an initiative, including their availability to their customers.
• Some employees were worried that their colleagues would perceive them as lazy if they only worked on four days.