More than 200 companies across the United Kingdom employing 5,000 workers have permanently adopted a four-day working week with no loss of pay. The four-day work week has become increasingly popular overseas and in Australia, with workers keen to jump on the shorter week trend.

A poll of more than 2,500 Yahoo Finance readers found 90 per cent would prefer a four-day work week with the same pay. Some employers seem to be taking this feedback on board and are changing their policies.

The 200 UK companies switching to a four-day week included charities, marketing, technology, IT and software, and consulting firms, according to the 4 Day Week Foundation.

The change will see staff receive the same pay and no requirement for longer working days.

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4 Day Week Foundation campaign director Joe Ryle said the shift to four-day work weeks gave workers more free time and “the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives”.

“As hundreds of British companies and one local council have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers,” Ryle said.

“The 9-5, five-day working week was invented 100 years ago and is no longer fit for purpose. We are long overdue for an update.”

Has your company switched to a four-day work week? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com

The UK isn’t the only country where employers are increasingly moving towards a shorter week.

In December, the Tokyo government announced it would introduce a four-day work week for government employees in April in a bid to boost record-low fertility rates across the nation.

“We will review work styles … with flexibility, ensuring no one has to give up their career due to life events such as childbirth or childcare,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said when unveiling the plan.

Government workers, excluding shift staff, will be able to take up to three days off per week but they will still be required to complete 155 hours per month.

Closer to home, a number of Aussies companies have adopted or are trialling the shorter week, including Medibank and Bunnings.

Aussie company ‘blown away’ by 4-day work week results

Australian media agency Claxon is among those to have permanently implemented a four-day work week for staff after testing it out on a trial basis.