Sainsbury’s to offer staff four day work week

Sainsbury’s has reportedly offered its staff the option of working four days a week, according to The Times.

Staff based at its head offices in Holborn, Coventry and Milton Keynes, as well as its warehouses, and store managers in its 1,400 UK stores will be given the option of a more flexible work week.

The staff have been given the option to work their 37.5-hour contracts in a seven-day week, meaning some head-office workers could work on a Saturday and take a day off in the week. However, they would not be permitted to take consecutive Fridays off.

This move comes after the success of the four day working week trial. Out of the 61 companies who participated in the trial 56 extended it and 18 introduced it permanently.

It is understood that the retailer will not be taking a one-size-fits-all approach to working hours, as many of its employees work in stores.

The supermarket recently invested £185m to give its hourly paid staff a pay rise to help ease the cost of living. This was the second pay rise given out by Sainsbury’s taking its overall investment in staff pay to £205m.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We are always looking to evolve our ways of working to ensure we can do the best possible job for customers while continuing to be a brilliant place to work for our colleagues. We are currently testing new ways to be more efficient and offer improved flexibility.

“At the same time, we are committed to supporting colleagues when they need it most. That’s why we have recently invested £185 million to give retail hourly-paid colleagues a pay rise to help them manage increasing bills. This is the second pay rise we have given retail colleagues this financial year, taking Sainsbury’s total investment in colleague pay to £205 million.”