It's hard to ignore the growing traction around the four-day work week.

The six month pilot, which has so far seen over 30 companies promise their employees one day off per week, was announced at the start of the year with big hitters like Atom Bank and Big Potato Games backing it. While some were initially skeptical about the logistics, the change has been received positively on the whole so far.

BWD, a recruitment firm based in Leeds, has been a very public supporter of working less to achieve more. They first trialled the four-day week back in 2018 with overwhelming positive results - within the first six months, 97% of employees reported higher levels of happiness, both in their personal and professional lives. Now that they've re-introduced the same model again, as of January 2021, they're seeing the same trends (plus many more).

For one, rates of staff illness have significantly lowered. This isn't surprising considering overworking can lead to increased stress which can 'literally kill you'. Employees have also found themselves feeling more motivated, especially towards the end of the week, as well as more relaxed.

“It’s encouraging to know that, if I get everything done by Thursday, there’s nothing preventing me from really enjoying the break. It’s a kick up the backside,” Edward Duffy, a 27 year-old Operations Manager at BWD told i Lifestyle. “It’s nice not to have to wake up at 7.45,” he added. “And I like that that time is yours: to exercise, to rest, recover, to take some of your mind off the daily grind of the normal working week.”

In fact, the benefits are so numerous that it's not just companies jumping on the bandwagon - it's countries too. Belgium recently announced that it is moving ahead with plans for a national four-day work week, along with a number of other labour reforms like stronger protections for freelancers and the right to 'disconnect' from work after hours.

“We have experienced two difficult years. With this agreement, we set a beacon for an economy that is more innovative, sustainable and digital. The aim is to be able to make people and businesses stronger," stated the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander de Croo, about the plans.

But it's not quite as radical as you might think. While the country is proposing a shorter work week, employees will still be expected to complete the same number of hours, meaning longer shifts on the days they do work. It will also ultimately be down to individual employers to agree to these changes. Such stipulations have left Trade Unions feeling rather ambivalent, if not slightly concerned, as there are worries that employees may be pressured into working excess hours to make up for lost time.

So far, new plans for a four-day work week have only included white collar workers, leaving many to wonder - what about the service sector? With more people taking Mondays or Fridays off, critics worry that demand will only increase in jobs where you have to be at work, like at restaurants or hair salons, creating a two-tiered workforce.

LinkedIn News  posed the question in a poll this week, asking respondents if they thought a four-day work week in the service industry was possible, 85% said yes. Some suggested that bosses would have no choice to respond by cutting work schedules in order to keep up with the times. Others also noted that a four-day week for employees doesn't have to mean a four-day week for the company, as many firms are already choosing to alternate staff between choosing either Monday or Friday off.

So it seems, in theory, the four-day work week could work for everyone.

Last month, NearU co-founder, James Solomides, made three work predictions for 2022. Along with increasing flexibility in remote working policies and seeing more big-hitters enter the hybrid working sphere, he also predicted that the four-day work week would soon be widely adopted.

So nearly a month on and with more evidence to pick from, we caught up with James again to see what he made of the latest developments in terms of a four-day future...

"I think the wheels are now fully in motion, and with the traction we’ve already seen I fully expect the uptake to continue. It’s a great weapon in the ever intensifying ‘war on talent’, so along with hybrid working and flexible hours it’s not likely to disappear. Atom Bank is of course a well referenced example, as they saw their job applications soar by over 500% in the wake of their announcement. They have also just announced a £75m funding round, so it certainly hasn’t put off investors either!

"The common misconception with a 4-day week is that it will impact company operating hours, but this of course is not the case. Companies are looking to rotate staff, to reduce individuals working days but maintain the status quo for the business itself, and ultimately customers/clients.

"We don’t have a huge amount of data to look at as the concept is still relatively new, but the data we do have seems to be very positive with studies showing higher productivity, increased focus, fewer sick days and better mental health. The social media company Buffer, moved to a four-day week during the pandemic and subsequently 91% of workers have said they’re happier and more productive. There were of course some learnings along the way for them, admitting “having everyone choose the day they wanted to be off didn't work”. The company have since settled on Fridays off, with the exception of their customer service team.

"In summary, I wholeheartedly believe that the future of work will be across a four-day working week for millions of workers. We have seen what positive impact a shift in work/life balance can have through our (albeit forced) slow down during the Covid Pandemic. Ultimately however, just like hybrid working, we must find the right balance, and this will determine how successful any changes will be. Crucially though, productivity cannot stall, or there will be calls for us all to be back in a centralised office Monday-Friday before we know it!"