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Huge supermarket chain trials four-day working week to thousands of staff – as turnover decreases
Included in the Asda trial are more flexible working arrangements, such as working shorter shifts.
ONE of the UK’s biggest supermarket chains is trialling a four-day working week for thousands of staff.
Asda has launched the initiative among its store managers as it pursues a “case for change”.
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Also included in the trial are more flexible working arrangements, such as working shorter shifts.
An Asda spokesman told The Sun Online: "Since September 2023, we have been trialling a variety of flexible working patterns for managers in 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 are keen to test and learn different ways of working that benefit our colleagues and business.
"While we are still evaluating the results of this trial, the feedback from participating colleagues has been very positive.
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"Asda has also invested a total of £325m in increasing pay for both store-based and logistics colleagues since 2022."
The move comes after Sainsbury’s shook up its working practices last year and introduced flexible working, including a four-day working week.
The supermarket giant said it has been looking at ways to make its work schedules more flexible and better for employees.
It said that while it not trialling a formal four-day week, some staff may end up working a shorter week as a result.
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The world’s biggest trial of a four-day working week was hailed a “major breakthrough” last year.
The trial saw 61 companies across a variety of sectors in the UK commit to reducing their working hours for all staff by 20 per cent, for six months from June 2022.
The results revealed a significant drop in the rates of stress and illness among the approximately 2,900 staff trying a shorter working week.
Elsewhere, Tesco has relaxed its rules on size requirements on sprouts, cauliflowers, cabbages and leeks after many British farmers were hit by the recent floods.
Heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding has affected growers around the country, including in Lincolnshire, East Anglia, Cornwall and Scotland.
At the end of last year, it was revealed that yellow stickers 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 kerb food wastage.
It could see automatic pricing on fresh products which would usually have a reduced sticker slapped on them as they near their use-by date.
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Instead of a supermarket staffer walking around and labelling the goods, their prices would automatically change on the digital tag.
Also in December, Lidl moved to scrap "use by" dates on their milk and yoghurts in order to prevent customers throwing away edible food.
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