The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community

First Council to Trial 4 Day Week Confirmed

First Council to Trial 4-Day Week Confirmed
22 September 2022 | Updated 21 February 2023
 

Office staff at South Cambridgeshire District Council are to trial a four-day working week, which might be extended to waste collection crews if successful.

Beginning in January 2023, around 470 desk-based council staff will be eligible to take part.

South Cambridgeshire District Council has been experiencing a recruitment problem, having only been able to fill around eight out of every ten (or fewer) of its vacancies in the last year. With 23 agency staff currently covering office-based roles, this could cost the council more than £2 million over the course of a year, compared to £1 million if filled by permanent staff.

It is hoped that a four-day week working model could attract more permanent staff to council roles.

Joe Ryle, Director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said: “We congratulate South Cambridgeshire District Council on becoming the first ever UK local authority to give the go-ahead to a four-day week trial.

“Offering a four-day week is the best thing that councils can do to tackle the recruitment crisis in local government and we expect more councils to follow their lead. The four-day week brings many other benefits including increased productivity, improved wellbeing of staff and a reduction in carbon emissions."

Over 180 companies in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand have already run trials in 2022.

 

How Will the Council Adapt?

 

As part of the trial, the council will examine whether they can extend public opening hours via the telephone, a soon-to-be-launched web-chat service and online meetings through platforms such as Teams and Zoom.

The council will also monitor service levels from January to the end of March, analysing how long it takes to process benefits claims, how fast planning applications are determined, staff turnover, call answering times and other metrics.

Health and wellbeing surveys for staff will also be used to measure success.

 

Waste Collection Crews

 

South Cambridgeshire District and Cambridge City Councils are considering expanding the trial to involve bin crews later in 2023.

The council have stated that they would need additional time to plan and establish exactly how a four-day week would work for them and residents. Refuse crews currently empty bins for around 127,000 households across Greater Cambridge each week.

Picture: a photograph of some numbered wheelie bins in various colours. Image Credit: PX Fuel

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 22 September 2022

Share



Related Articles

Majority of 4 Day Work Week Pilot Companies Will Continue With Scheme

The world’s largest 4 day working week trial has published its pilot results, with 91 per cent definitely continuing or planning to continue with the...

 Read Full Article
First-Ever European 4 Day Week Pilot Launches

After a series of global pilots, the first-ever Europe-wide four-day working week pilot programme is launching. Over 180 companies in the United States, Canada, the...

 Read Full Article
4 Day Working Week Trial Set for 2022

A four-day working week is to be trialled for six months in June 2022, and it’s not just for office workers. Six companies have signed up for the flexible...

 Read Full Article
HSBC Considers New London HQ

Reports from The Sunday Times suggest that HSBC is looking to leave its global headquarters at 8 Canada Square in Canary Wharf. According to the British newspaper,...

 Read Full Article
Flexible Workspace Provider Expands Into Germany

infinitSpace will partner with German commercial real estate developer CG Elementum on two new projects. Both buildings are owned by the Gröner Group and are...

 Read Full Article
68% of Councils Say they Won’t Meet Net-Zero Targets Without Retrofitting Buildings

Research commissioned by Willmott Dixon reveals councils in England in Wales will struggle to reach sustainability goals unless work is carried out on many of their...

 Read Full Article
UK Government Introduces Day-One Right to Request Flexible Working

Millions of employees across the country are set to benefit from new legislation that means flexible working can be requested from the first day of employment. The...

 Read Full Article
Mitie White Paper Addresses 8 Questions Every FM Should Consider

Mitie has published a white paper which identifies the biggest challenges facing facilities managers. “Accelerating Facilities Transformation” has been...

 Read Full Article
IWFM Research Highlights Flexibility and Personalisation as the Key to the Future of the Office

New research released by IWFM and MillerKnoll has revealed that most companies remain uncertain about what their post-pandemic workplaces will look like. For the...

 Read Full Article
Does Your Office Match You?

Do you feel optimum productivity under the sound of silence, whilst a co-worker thrives with the pulsating beats of the office playlist? Maybe the vibrant prints on your...

 Read Full Article