Asda ditches four-day week - after staff complained the new system of 11-hour shifts was leaving them too tired
ASDA has scrapped a four-day working week after staff complained that the system left them feeling exhausted.
The supermarket launched a pilot of flexible working patterns for managers last year — but the condensed hours were rejected by employees.
Staff in the trial at 20 Asda stores worked 44 hours over four days rather than five for the same pay.
However, workers said the 11-hour shifts were 'physically demanding' and left them worn out on their extra day off.
It comes as Britain's largest union Unison — one of Labour's biggest financial backers — prepares to lobby the new government to bring in a four-day week.
Staff at 20 Asda stores across the UK complained the new the 11-hour shifts were 'physically demanding' and left them worn out on their extra day off (File image)
Labour advisers have played down the prospect of legislating for the shortened working week, despite the union formally backing the idea.
Unison was among the donors handing Labour major sums of cash in the lead-up to the election, with more than £150,000 going to the party.
As well as exhaustion, Asda workers struggled with the early starts and late finishing times while working a four-day week.
That particularly affected employees who relied on public transport to get to and from work.
And parents said the longer days made it harder for them to do school drop-offs and pick-ups.
In response, Asda has abandoned the pilot along with a trial of a nine-day fortnight.
The grocer is still testing a working pattern that involves doing 39 hours across five days — which works out at just under eight-hour shifts — without a reduction in pay.
Asda said that has proved more popular — with some workers on the four-day week trial previously asking to switch — and will run until the end of 2024.
Asda workers also struggled with early starts and late finishing times and it proved a nightmare for those relying on public transport (File image)
It is also continuing a pilot of a new retail structure which will add extra salaried managers in some departments.
An Asda spokesman said: 'We began trialling four different flexible working patterns for managers in 20 stores last year.
'In April we announced that two of those trials, a new retail structure and five shorter working days, would run until the end of the year following positive feedback from colleagues in these stores.
'We will continue to test different flexible working patterns to assess how these can benefit our colleagues and our business.'
Other firms are also turning against the idea of a four-day working week amid concerns that employees cannot cope with the longer working days.
Household appliance specialist Domestic & General canned its four-day week pilot after staff were left feeling 'psychologically' drained.
D&G chief executive Matthew Crummack told the Daily Telegraph: 'Half the team absolutely loved it, half the team didn't like it at all — it makes for a longer day, it's a bit more intense.'
The company will trial 'school run hours' so parents can work between 9.30am and 2.30pm.
Last year a London technology firm scrapped plans for a four-day week after discovering it made staff even more stressed.
Internet services company Krystal axed the trial as colleagues struggled to get all of their tasks done in the reduced time.
Krystal then shorted its working day from six hours to five.
The pandemic saw more employees working from home and adopting more flexible hours instead of the usual nine-to-five, five-day working week.
Some economists have argued that working fewer hours would decrease the standard of living.
And critics say the concept is impossible in customer-facing jobs, or 24/7 operations including where overtime payments would present an extra cost to employers or the taxpayer.
