Nearly three-quarters of employees support a four-day working week, says study

The majority of workers believe they could achieve as much in a four-day working week as they do in five, a new report claims.

According to the study, women felt more confident in their ability to do so, and are more likely to resist a pay cut to achieve a shorter week.

Financial comparison site NerdWallet surveyed 2,000 employees and found that almost three in four workers were in favour of a four-day week.

The news comes as more than 3,000 employees and more than 70 UK firms are participating in the biggest every four-day working week pilot.

Employees will continue to receive 100 per cent of their pay as part of the 100:80:100 model which requires staff to work 80 per cent of their previous hours in exchange for a commitment to 100 per cent productivity.

Companies participating in the trial come from a range of sectors, including retail, banking, care, housing, animation, hospitality and many more.

Connor Campbell of NerdWallet said: “It's clear to see there is a large appetite for the four-day working week in the UK and it will be interesting to find out the results of (the) four-day week trial to assess whether this could be a wider possibility for employees.

“Workers in the UK are seemingly confident about their ability to work smarter, rather than harder, so employers may want to take notice of their workers' needs in order to avoid potential resignations and moves to businesses that can accommodate shorter working weeks.”

The news follows a further report of working culture which revealed that the typical UK worker would accept a 10 per cent pay cut to work where staff enjoy “above average” levels of happiness.

The research, which analysed 23 million job-seekers across the UK, US and Canada, concluded that companies should “invest in organisational and management practices that are conducive to worker happiness”.

In order of priority, a work-life balance, “team” and social relationships, enjoyment, and a sense of purpose were all agreed by workers to constitute a happy workplace.

While pay and benefits were important, they were not cited as the most important factors for workers.