Ireland is among a number of countries taking part in a worldwide initiative trialing a four-day week with no loss of pay.

Joining in on the UK's experiment, where 3,000 workers at 70 companies will begin the trial, smaller trials in Ireland, Canada, Australia, and the US will follow suit.

Firms that plan on cooperating, will give 100% of workers' pay for 80% of the time, in exchange for a commitment to maintaining 100% productivity.

The trial is being organized by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign, and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Boston College.

Joe O’Connor, pilot program manager for 4 Day Week Global, said: “More and more businesses are moving to productivity-focused strategies to enable them to reduce worker hours without reducing pay.

“We are excited by the growing momentum and interest in our pilot program and in the four-day week more broadly.

“The four-day week challenges the current model of work and helps companies move away from simply measuring how long people are “at work”, to a sharper focus on the output being produced. 2022 will be the year that heralds in this bold new future of work.”

Juliet Schor, Professor of Sociology at Boston College, and lead researcher on the pilot said: "We'll be analyzing how employees respond to having an extra day off, in terms of stress and burnout, job and life satisfaction, health, sleep, energy use, travel and many other aspects of life.

Companies taking part provide products and services ranging from education to workplace consultancy; banking; care; financial services; IT software training; professional development and legal training; housing; automotive supply services; online retail; sustainable homecare; skincare; animation studios; building and construction recruitment services; food and beverage and hospitality; digital marketing; and comprehensive case management services for people recovering from traumatic injury.

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