MTC to offer four-day week to staff

The decision to trial the new approach followed an in-depth review of flexible working options, in response to employee feedback.

“We’ve been operating flexible working patterns since April 2018, but employee engagement surveys have shown that staff wanted to extend this further,” said Vicki Sanderson, MTC’s HR director.

“We explored a range of options, including researching what was important for millennials and generation Z, as 79 per cent of our workforce fall into these categories. Work-life balance was the priority, and our survey results reflected this.”

Starting in April 2020, the Fully Flexible Working Week trial provided a flexible working arrangement, including a four-day week to approximately 615 employees.

Consequently, 83 per cent of employees reported that they were happier, 42 per cent said their energy levels had increased, and 40 per cent experienced improvements in their mental health, according to a staff survey. An external evaluation carried out by Loughborough University found that the reaction from employees had been ‘overwhelmingly positive’ and was an incentive for new recruits.