A London-based sexual health charity has become the first clinical service provider to permanently implement a four-day working week in the UK after a successful six-month pilot.
Today, the 4 Day Week Campaign announced that Brook, a charity supporting people under 25 with their sexual health and wellbeing, had permanently adopted a four-day week without any reduction in pay for its staff.
Over 200 employees at Brook – or 93% of the charity’s staff – have moved to a 30-hour working week, with full-time staff reducing their hours from 37.5 hours over five days to 30 hours over four days and part-time staff similarly reducing their hours by 20%.
As of 31 March 2023, Brook employed 233 people, according to data filed with the Charity Commission.
Increased productivity and wellbeing
Brook’s chief executive Helen Marshall said her charity first trialled a four-day week in August 2023 as part of its commitment to staff wellbeing.
Following the six-month pilot, 60% of participants reported an increase in their life satisfaction while 87% reported increased or maintained motivation and effectiveness.
Brook also maintained its key performance indicators and the delivery of its business plan, “with significant over-achievement of some targets”, the 4 Day Week Campaign said.
Marshall said: “Our talented employees work tirelessly to improve the sexual health of their local communities, and it’s part of our duty to them to have initiatives in place that support their welfare.
“The four-day week pilot was a resounding success. Participants reported significant increases in mental and physical wellbeing, along with decreases in stress, sickness and burnout.”
She said the initiative did not come at the expense of Brook’s services as it continued to receive “high levels of user satisfaction” from both its education and clinical clients.
“This demonstrates our ability to implement new innovative ways of working while continuing to deliver the high-quality care and support that people expect from Brook,” she added.
‘Perfect time’ to switch to four-day week
Brook has been accredited as a “gold standard” employer by the 4 Day Week Campaign, whose director Joe Ryle commended the charity for being the first clinical service provider in the UK to permanently move to a four-day week.
“As hundreds of UK companies and one local council have shown, the four-day week with no loss of pay improves productivity and is a win-win for both workers and employers,” he said.
“Workers are desperate for a better work-life balance after Covid-19 and now is the perfect time for organisations to implement it.”
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