Bank workers push for four day week

Staff at Lloyds Bank are pushing the UK mortgage and banking giant to implement a four day working week with no reduction in pay.

Worker representatives from the Unite and Accord unions are asking their employer to reduce the week as part of salary negotiations.

Ged Nichols, general secretary at Accord, said: “We’re trying to start the conversation on this, and it’s something we’d hope to deliver in stages over a number of years rather than a one-off.”

A growing campaign for a four day week argues that reducing time spent working can help to boost productivity and retain talent for employers while fostering a happier, less stressed and more gender-balanced workforce.

If successful, the change would bring a benefit for 65,000 workers and follow in the footsteps of Atom Bank, a digital lender, which recently became the largest employer in the UK to make the change. The finance company cut its staff working hours to 34 hours from 37.5 hours a week.