Four-day working week Sheffield: Could it apply to your job as pilot scheme launched?

While some employees have told The Star they would welcome the switch, for a longer weekend, some say their work could not fit around a four day schedule.

We spoke to people in Sheffield city centre after two Sheffield employers, AKA Case Management and Rivelin Robotics, were among 70 firms across the UK launching a trial of a four-day working week, where staff are paid the same for a shorter week.

More than 3,000 workers at 70 companies will begin a four-day week - in a six-month trial being organised by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign, and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College.

Organisers say it is the biggest four-day week pilot to take place anywhere in the world.

Some city firms, including computer firm WANdisco, already run a four-day week, although the employees work extra hours on those four days.

Membere Kidane, a hospital worker from Heeley, said she thought it was a good idea. “It would be a good idea if I was working four days and they were paying me for five. It would be rest, when I’m tired.”

David Reeves, from Bradway, who runs a sports management company, said: “Me personally, it wouldn’t work for me. I would always go on the side of you work for five days, you get paid for five days, if you work for four days you get paid for four days. I want to get the most out of my work, that’s what I’m thinking.”

NEWS: Sheffield employers AKA Case Management and Rivelin Robotics join four-day week working trial

Julie Reeves, a dance teacher from Bradway said it would not work for her.

She said: “In my profession personally, it doesn’t work, as a self employed dance instructor, you get paid for the hours that you work. I can see benefits possibly for other people, but not in my forté.”

Stepans Kanigins, who works in Sheffield, said: “I think overall it’s a good idea. It would work for people in some industries, places where we’re talking about volume of work rather than being available. But in a lot of jobs, where people need to be available, like service industries, maybe people working in a customer service place, you need to have people there to support others. For those kind of places it wouldn't work, but for a lot of jobs where it’s just based on volume work, I think it probably would work."

He said in an ideal scenario he would like a four-day week, because he felt the weekend was too short. But he works in a customer service role, supporting engineers, and did not think his job would fit the four day week because they had to support engineers on the ground.

Administration worker Zaid Gomari, of Woodseats, said: “I think it’s a great idea. Not everyone can keep up their productivity over five days so it makes sense from both sides.” He said he would definitely do it if he had the chance.

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