Most of the workforce at sexual health and wellbeing charity Brook has moved to a 30-hour, four day working week, without any reduction in pay.

The move has seen full time staff hours reduced from 37.5 over five days to 30 hours over four days .

Part time staff have also seen their hours reduced by 20% with no reduction in pay, the charity added.

It has made the move following a six-month trial in which three in five employees involved reported increased "life satisfaction" and almost nine in ten said they were more motivated and effective at work.

The 200 staff moving to the new working week accounts for more than nine in ten of the charity’s workforce.

“Brook piloted the four-day week as part of our commitment to staff wellbeing,” said Brook chief executive Helen Marshall.

“Our talented employees work tirelessly to improve the sexual health of their local communities, and it is part of our duty to them to have initiatives in place that support their welfare.”

She added: “The four-day week pilot was a resounding success. Participants reported significant increases in mental and physical wellbeing, along with decreases in stress, sickness and burnout.

“Crucially though, this was not at the expense of our services, as we continued to receive high levels of user satisfaction from both our education and clinical clients. This demonstrates our ability to implement new innovative ways of working, while continuing to deliver the high-quality care and support that people expect from Brook

"I am delighted that we are now offering the four-day week on permanent basis so that the entire organisation can benefit from the initiative in the long term."

The charity has also been given a ‘gold standard’ accreditation from the 4 Day Week Campaign’s accreditation scheme.

The campaign’s director Joe Ryle said: “As far as we are aware, Brook are the first clinical service provider in the UK to permanently move to a four-day week and for that, they should be commended.

“As hundreds of UK companies and one local council have shown, the four-day week with no loss of pay improves productivity and is a win-win for both workers and employers.”

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