International recruitment firm MRL Consulting Group is to trial a four-day working week for 56 members of staff based across the UK, France and Germany.
The six-month trial, which will start in May 2019, will see the organisation close every Friday; employees will still receive the same salaries and benefits as they do currently for working a traditional five-day week.
Moving to a four-day working week will award employees with an extra 47 fully paid days off a year.
MRL Consulting Group, which has its headquarters in Brighton, is launching the shorter working week in order to better support employees with their wellbeing and work-life balance, as well as to attract and retain talent.
David Stone (pictured), chief executive officer at MRL Consulting Group, said: “We have a clear desire to enlarge our team of world class consultants, and to attract and retain the best people, we need to be a world class employer.
“There are some incredible people that work for MRL and I want us to give back to them, to make their lives better, easier and more fulfilling. We have the training in place, excellent packages and limitless career opportunities, but this is about wellness and minimising the things which can cause stress, anxiety and depression.”
The four-day working week was announced to employees at the organisation’s annual general meeting at the W Hotel in Barcelona this month (April 2019).
Stone added: “I don’t want to hire people who just want to work a four-day week. I want to hire people who are good enough to do five days of work in four.
“I want to give the staff more time to relax, get the life admin done, do whatever it is they need to do when they’re not in the office. I want them to have real work-life balance. When people retire, I want them to look back and say MRL was the best place they ever worked.”
MRL Consulting Group has 31 employees based in Brighton, 10 in France and 15 in Germany.