Navigating the legal landscape of four-day work weeks

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Back in the 1920s, Henry Ford bucked the norm of a six-day work week by establishing the now standardised 9-to-5 five-day work week without reducing workers' pay. It's been almost a century since Ford became a working week trendsetter and, in an era of remote working and efficient tech, some employers might wonder, "Why can't we be trailblazers too?"

Enter the new kid on the block: the four-day work week. Since the pandemic, the campaign for four-day work weeks has been gaining steam. In support, studies have shown implementing a four-day work week can lead to increased worker retention, talent attraction, enhanced productivity and improved employee morale, all of which are clearly key selling points in the highly competitive games industry.

However, before game developers and publishers dive in headfirst to the four-day work week pool, it's worth pausing and giving some thought to the legal ramifications of making the switch.

In this article, we'll explore some legal considerations employers should contemplate before implementing any changes to their standard working days including, but not limited to, pay and hours, employment contracts and agreements, impact on holiday entitlement and best practice.

First and foremost, employers need to consider how the introduction of a four-day work week affects part-time employees. In many jurisdictions (including the UK), part-time employees and workers are protected from being treated less favourably than their full-time comparators.

How is that relevant to four-day work weeks? Well, to ensure that part-timers aren't treated any less favourably than their full-time counterparts, if an employer switched to a four-day work week, part-time employees working four days a week would become full-time employees and should, therefore, receive full-time equivalent salaries.

Equally, any part-time employees working less than four days a week should see their salaries