WBG Adopts Permanent 30-Hour Working Week

In January this year, the Women’s Budget Group (WBG) launched a six-month trial reducing our full-time working hours to 30 per week without loss of pay. Today, we are proud to announce that this shorter working week is now a permanent change, reflecting our commitment to live our values and aligning our operations with our vision of a green and caring economy. 

The UK is grappling with multiple, intersecting crises, with inequalities and environmental breakdown at their core. Women continue to work longer hours than men, but men are paid for more of their work, and are paid more for their work. Meanwhile, overwork and overproduction are key driving factors of climate change—an issue gaining increasing recognition globally.

As we reported in a briefing that formed part of our Feminist Green New Deal project with WEN (Women’s Environmental Network), shorter hours of work are associated with lower gender gaps in unpaid hours of work, paid hours of work and wages as well as lower GHG emissions per capita and higher productivity. 

In February 2023, the think tank Autonomy  published the results of a trial of a shorter working week across 61 organisations that found significant positive impacts on employee wellbeing, work life balance and productivity. We have worked with the 4 Day Week Campaign and Autonomy and are proud to now be an accredited employer.  

While most of our staff have opted to work their hours over four days, we maintain a strong commitment to flexibility. Some employees choose to spread their hours over five days or adjust their schedules according to term times and school holidays, and caring responsibilities. 

We are pleased to report that we are on track to meet or exceed our performance targets for this year, matching or even surpassing last year’s outcomes across several key metrics. Our transition to a shorter working week has not only maintained but in many cases enhanced our productivity and impact.

Equally important has been a substantial improvement in staff satisfaction, well-being and morale. Employees report feeling more productive and focused with the added time for rest, personal pursuits, travel, and family commitments contributing to a more balanced and fulfilling work-life balance. This, in turn, has fostered a more positive and collaborative workplace culture, where team members can thrive and are motivated to deliver their best work.

The positive outcomes from our trial suggest that reducing working hours can be a catalyst for not just sustaining but improving organisational performance, while at the same time improving staff wellbeing.

Looking ahead, we encourage the new Government to seriously consider these positive findings. Public support for such a move is clear: recent polling by the Autonomy Institute revealed that 72% of those who voted Labour in last month’s General Election favour a national transition to a shorter working week. We believe this is just the beginning of a significant societal shift.

For more information please contact press@wbg.org.uk