Morrisons scraps four-day week after staff complain about working weekends

In 2020, the supermarket implemented four-day working weeks only for head office workers in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Supermarket chain Morrisons has scrapped four-day working weeks for head office staff following complaints around working on weekends (Ian West/PA) (PA Archive)

Supermarket chain Morrisons has scrapped four-day working weeks for head office staff following complaints around working on weekends.

The supermarket implemented four-day working weeks in 2020 only for head office workers in Bradford, West Yorkshire, reducing their weekly working hours from 40 to 37.5.

But employees were expected to work 13 Saturdays within a year, which is equivalent to working one Saturday every four weeks.

According to The Grocer, Morrisons scrapped the scheme following complaints from employees about weekend work. As a result, 2,000 staff members will now work 37.5 hours over a four-and-a-half-day work-week.

The Saturdays have now been dropped following colleague feedback and we will work an extra half-day per week instead. The hours remain unchanged

Morrisons spokesperson

A Morrisons spokesperson told the PA news agency: “In recent years, our head office colleagues have worked a four-day week and then 13 Saturdays a year.

“The Saturdays have now been dropped following colleague feedback and we will work an extra half-day per week instead. The hours remain unchanged.”

Saturday working was implemented to provide head office workers with an opportunity to support the company’s 497 stores that operate on weekends.

Director of the 4-Day Week Campaign, Joe Ryle, said: “Morrisons four-day week experiment was an important first step but still quite a long way off a true four-day, 32-hour working week.

“Being required to work on Saturday’s was never going to be popular and isn’t really a four-day week.

“However, we still welcome the reduction in hours from 40 hours to 37.5 hours a week.”

The campaign added a “true” four-day week involves a reduction in working hours to 32 or fewer with “no loss of pay”.

This change comes a week after rival supermarket Asda introduced four-day working weeks to its business.

As part of a “case for change”, some Asda store managers will be offered a scheme that includes flexible working hours and shorter shifts.

Following a 2022 trial by 61 UK companies, which involved around 2,900 workers, 56 of the firms decided to continue with the four-day work week.