After a successful trial of a four day working week, online lender Atom Bank has decided to make it a permanent fixture for employees.

In November 2021 the digital bank became the largest UK business and the first UK bank to take the step of offering their employees the option of working a 34 hour week over four days instead of five. The company also took part in a trial run by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with leading think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and researchers at Cambridge University, Boston College and Oxford University where more than 3,000 people working for 70 organisations agreed to work a shorter week for six months with no loss of pay but with the commitment to maintain 100% productivity. 

Whilst some of the participating firms initially reported concerns, in August Atom announced that it had proved overwhelmingly positive in terms of both job satisfaction and productivity and more recently that they had “experienced great success with our trial”.

Now the trial has ended, Atom report that job applications are up by 49% and departures down by a fifth. According to the bank, customer goodwill has also increased, with scores up from 83 to 87 in November, reaching 7.7 on Trustpilot, the third highest rated UK bank.

Atom is the first of the organisations in the trial to announce a permanent move to four days.

Chief People Officer Anne-Marie Lister said the trial was “one of the most transformative things we’ve done as a company”.

She added:

“Since we launched our trial in November 2021, we have not only seen a more productive, healthier, and, crucially, happier workforce, but our customer service metrics are at record highs and more people are looking to start a career with Atom.”

She continued:

“It took a lot of planning, communication and listening to make it work, but having started out as a pilot we have now confirmed the new working structure into people’s contracts.

“Sceptics may argue that a business couldn’t grow under a four-day week, however this year has been one of continued progress and development at Atom. Customers have flocked to the bank in record numbers and the service we have offered them remains among the best in the country.”