A four-day week will soon be the norm in the public sector.

My son has always negotiated a 4 day week with his employer. He works a 37? Hour week over 4 days rather than 5.

He is absolutely adamant about work/life balance and is undoubtedly benefiting from this better balance.

Exactly growstuff. As I said above if a law firm tried a four day week it would go out of business. All service industries, public or private sector, have to provide the service when the client reasonably expects it to be provided and be available when the client reasonably expects them to be. As it is I know there’s no point in phoning my local authority after 4pm.

Germanshepherdsmum

Industry knows its clients and markets. We are all clients of the public sector. I don’t give a stuff about the needs of my local authority and I expect someone to be providing the services for which I pay, and to be available to contact, five days a week, not four. If my law firm had decided that its partners and employees would only work four days a week, do you think we would have had any clients left?

That made me smile, surely you don’t think that individuals working for four days a week means less access to services do you?

Germanshepherdsmum

The public sector isn’t producing anything though, it’s providing a service.

Just like solicitors!

SNAP ilovecheese and Siope.

Indeed, Ilovecheese

I should have said ‘don’t necessarily equate…’ as for some businesses there may be a business case to be made for closing three days a week.

Germanshepherdsmum

The public sector is there to serve the public - a four day working week might benefit the employees but it would not benefit the public.

Not all public sector employees are public-facing. There is much flexibility about when (and where) work is actually done, although I think there could be resentment if some employees were able to work four days and others not.

Even in public-facing roles, a four day week could lead to organisations being open for longer hours. For example, if somebody works 5 x 7/8 hours a week, they could work 4 x 9/10 hours. A bit of creative thinking could mean that offices are open longer, which would suit people who can't access public services during the normal working day.

Siope

My understanding is four day weeks don’t equate to four day service (or production) delivery.

And I don't see any reason why the entire staff should only be available on the same four days. That's just being overly dramatic.. Organisations cope perfectly well with part time workers.

Saying that the public sector 'doesn't produce anything' is just absurd. A 'service' is as much a 'product' as is a packet of biscuits.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_industries

It could lead to the services being available seven days a week. The misunderstanding seems to be that all the employees would work on the same four days, but it needn't be that way at all.

My understanding is four day weeks don’t equate to four day service (or production) delivery.

As increasingly services move online and AI expands I can see more actual people working a four day week. But I can correspondingly see availability expanding to 24/7 for a lot more services.
Some areas will always need real people, including a few areas provided by local authorities.

Do you want your local authority’s staff to only be available four days a week? The housing department, social services, etc etc?

Private businesses have found that it can increase their productivity and thus increase their profits. It could work in the public sector but if no one is even willing to try it they will never find out.

The public sector isn’t producing anything though, it’s providing a service.

I like the idea if it were across the board, it could be split up, 4 days and 3 days. Might help out families who struggle to afford childcare.

Aren't there companies that did a 4 day working week and found productivity went up?

Industry knows its clients and markets. We are all clients of the public sector. I don’t give a stuff about the needs of my local authority and I expect someone to be providing the services for which I pay, and to be available to contact, five days a week, not four. If my law firm had decided that its partners and employees would only work four days a week, do you think we would have had any clients left?

That’s a sweeping statement Germanshepherdsmum. Industry wouldn’t be moving towards a four day week if it didn’t benefit the organisation, the devil is in the detail of the scheme, which needs to be attuned to the goals of the organisation.

A four day week would never work in our industry, we need bodies on site for 5 1/2 days every week.

Unfortunately there are not enough people with the skill sets we require nor are there any willing youngsters who have the drive and ambition to learn what is needed.

The public sector is there to serve the public - a four day working week might benefit the employees but it would not benefit the public.

The public sector will find it hard because they will get so many grumbles from people. The private sector is increasingly going forward with four day working weeks because it benefits both the company and its employees. People are so often resistant to change, without being willing to see what works or doesn't work.

It was mooted by our county council, but after much public outrage (what did they expect?🙄) the idea was dropped.

In the Daily Telegraph article I assume you’re quoting Urmstongran it clearly states:
A Welsh government spokesman said: “There are no plans to introduce a four-day week across the public sector in Wales.”