Administrate
Edinburgh
Tech firm offers staff a three-day weekend, all year round.
Edinburgh tech firm Administrate introduced a four-day, 32-hour week in 2015. The office is open five days and staff can choose whether to extend their weekend into Monday or Friday.
The company, which employs 70 staff and produces software for training providers, has increased efficiency to make up for shorter hours. Measures to increase productivity have included rules restricting meeting times.
Chief executive John Peebles told the Irish Times: “Business is different today than 30 years ago, when I couldn’t send an email, couldn’t shop online, had to use a fax machine. So why are we working the same way?”
Tags Shorter working week
New rules needed
Policies that can help unleash the potential of this or similar initiatives across the UK.
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Increase statutory paid leave
If pay is protected, increased leisure time for workers will boost demand and life satisfaction. -
Replace GDP with better measures of national success
Better headline indicators – that reflect the things we really want – are essential for better policymaking. -
Prototype shorter working hours in the public sector
Run shorter working week trials in the public sector as experiments to improve wellbeing and productivity. -
Boost the power of trade unions
Stronger unions will counter the UK's low pay, low productivity economy.
