ONE of Britain’s largest supermarket chains is piloting a four-day working week for thousands of employees.
Asda has launched an initiative among its store managers as it looks for a “case for change”.
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Asda is currently conducting a ‘leadership structure trial’Credit: Alamy
More flexible work arrangements, such as working in shorter shifts, are also included in the trial.
An Asda spokesperson told The Sun Online: “From September 2023 we are trialling a variety of flexible working patterns for managers across 20 stores, including a 4-day working week for the same pay and benefits.
“More flexible working patterns have become commonplace in retail leadership in recent years, and we want to test and learn different ways of working that will benefit our colleagues and the business.
“Although we are still evaluating the results of this trial, feedback from participating colleagues has been very positive.
“Asda has also invested a total of £325 million in pay rises for store and logistics colleagues from 2022.”
The move comes after Sainsbury’s last year shook up its working practices and introduced flexible working, including a four-day working week.
The supermarket giant said it was looking for ways to make its work schedule more flexible and better for employees.
It said that while it was not trialling a formal four-day working week, some staff could work a shorter week as a result.
The world’s biggest trial of the four-day working week was hailed as a “major advance” last year.
The trial saw 61 companies across a range of sectors in the UK commit to reducing working hours for all staff by 20 per cent over the six months from June 2022.
The results revealed a significant drop in stress and illness rates among approximately 2,900 employees trying the shorter work week.
Elsewhere, Tesco has eased its rules on size requirements for sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage and leeks after many UK farmers were hit by recent floods.
Heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding affected growers across the country, including Lincolnshire, East Anglia, Cornwall and Scotland.
Late last year it was revealed that the yellow labels could be scrapped as a new pricing model is trialled in the UK.
The major change comes as part of a move towards using artificial intelligence (AI) in grocery stores in an attempt to curb food waste.
You could see automatic pricing on fresh produce that would normally have a reduced label to get closer to its use-by date.
Instead of a supermarket employee walking around and marking goods, their prices would automatically change on a digital plate.
Also in December, Lidl decided to scrap “use by” dates on its milk and yoghurts to prevent customers from throwing away edible food.
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Sainsbury’s shook up its working practices last yearCredit: Alamy
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