Under new government proposals, workers will be entitled to request four-day working weeks from their employers.  

Since April 2024, workers have had the right to request a four-day week, but employers have not been forced to comply. However, in new legislation set to be introduced in Autumn 2024, the government plans to strengthen the workers’ rights in this request to promote flexible working.  

Education Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told LBC: ‘What we’re actually talking about there is the type of flexible working that enables you to use compressed hours.’ She clarifies that in this new legislation, for example, someone contracted to work from 9-5 five days a week could instead request to work from 8-6 four days a week.  

Smith adds that the legislation is part of Labour’s ‘growth mission,’ and that the changes could result in parents needing less childcare and being able to spend more time with family. The extent to which the employer will be forced to accept the request is unclear.  

Let’s be clear, flexible work is the future. AI is developing and taking the reins on admin, data entry, analysis, and various creative practices; in a future where most jobs are at least partly replaceable, how can we all be expected to work full-time without a full-time workload?  

Why bother rearranging your week at all? A 3-day weekend can combat burnout and reduce work-related anxiety by giving the worker more time to decompress; employees would have more days to spend with their family and friends, leading to a more fulfilled professional life overall.  

Employers say they save money on electricity and other overheads, and staff take fewer sick days related to stress and mental health difficulties.  

The five-day week in an office feels like a pre-covid artefact for many. When the switch to online work happened during the pandemic, the benefits became a huge cultural talking point. People felt they had more free time before and after work by cutting out their commute; they felt less encumbered by toxic office pressures and more productive in a comfortable environment.  

The flexibility of working from home lent itself to flexible hours. In 2024 over 4.2 million people in the UK use flexitime, in which workers choose their start and finish time as long as they complete their contracted hours.  

Students are accustomed to balancing study, part-time work and unpaid internships; why shouldn’t they be excited about fair and responsible compensation for their work after they graduate? This new legislation will ensure that students starting their full-time career will be entitled to greater options and improved flexibility; and help put power and freedom in the hands of workers who need it.  

Young professionals face unfair hours for their given responsibilities, often having to complete work-related tasks outside of contracted hours. Labour’s four-day week, alongside other proposed legislation like ‘the right to switch off’ will no doubt help to combat the unfair conditions graduates face when they enter the workforce.