Morrisons scraps four-day week after staff complain about working one Saturday a month

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Morrisons has scrapped four-day working weeks after staff complained about working weekends.

The supermarket chain in 2020 launched four-day working weeks just for head workplace staff in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

The workers’ weekly working hours dropped from 40 to 37.5 – however they had been anticipated to then work one Saturday each 4 weeks, totalling 13 Saturdays every year.

Staff complained about the weekend work to the extent that Morrisons has now determined to finish the scheme, based on The Grocer.

Consequently, 2,000 staff members will now work 37.5 hours over a four-and-a-half-day work-week.

The 4 Day Week Campaign mentioned working 37.5 hours over 4 days is equal to working a full-time five-day week. Meanwhile, it mentioned a true four-day week includes a discount in hours to 32 or much less with no lack of pay – which is the mannequin used for the UK pilot scheme in 2022.

A spokesperson for the grocery store mentioned: “In recent years, our head office colleagues have worked a four-day week and then 13 Saturdays a year.

“The Saturdays have now been dropped following colleague feedback and we will work an extra half-day per week instead. The hours remain unchanged.”

Saturday working was applied to supply head workplace staff with a chance to assist the corporate’s 497 shops that function on weekends.

This change comes a week after rival grocery store Asda launched four-day working weeks to its enterprise.

As a part of a “case for change”, some Asda retailer managers might be supplied a scheme that features versatile working hours and shorter shifts.

Following a 2022 trial by 61 UK corporations, which concerned round 2,900 staff, 56 of the corporations determined to proceed with the four-day work week.

Joe Ryle, Director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, mentioned: “Morrisons’ four-day week experiment was an important first step but still quite a long way off a true four-day, 32-hour working week.

“Being required to work on Saturdays was never going to be popular and isn’t really a four-day week.

“However, we still welcome the reduction in hours from 40 hours to 37.5 hours a week.”