Simply Business
Northampton
250 call centre staff will take part in UK’s largest four-day working week trial.
Insurance company Simply Business is launching the UK’s largest four-day week trial at its Northampton call centre in September 2019. At least 250 employees will take part, switching from a 37.5‑hour week to a 30-hour week with no loss of pay.
Simply Business became an accredited B Corporation in 2017. B Corporations are committed to balancing purpose and profit, and required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment.
Jason Stockwood, the company’s vice chairman, said: “We are storing up an epidemic of mental health and psychological issues.
“Quite frankly, the wheels will come off in the next couple of years if we don’t do something.” He said it was time for “an upgrade in terms of our models of what work should be”.
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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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. -
Increase statutory paid leave
If pay is protected, increased leisure time for workers will boost demand and life satisfaction.
