A council that introduced a four-day week is reaping the benefits of the new arrangement, according to research that found improved levels of health and motivation among staff.
The change also looks to have led to taxpayers of South Cambridgeshire District Council profiting from faster planning decisions, emergency house repairs and complaints handling. The local authority brought in the trial for staff to do “100 per cent of the work in 80 per cent of the time” in January last year, before it was later expanded to cover waste services.
The scheme, introduced by the Lib Dem-run council, was criticised by the former Conservative government with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities calling on it to cease the trial. But after deciding to continue, the council has now published an independent report which it said shows “the brave and pioneering trial has clearly been a success”.
This story is from the July 09, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the July 09, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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