Benefits of a four-day week are ever clearer, despite Steve Reed’s stance
In his stern letter to South Cambridgeshire district council, the housing secretary, Steve Reed, criticised the decline in “key housing-related services including rent collection, reletting times and tenant satisfaction with repairs” during its trial of a four-day working week.The independent report he refers to is a dense 104-page document packed with tables, graphs and complex terminology, but its findings are not too difficult to decipher – the vast majority of the council’s services were not adversely affected by the trial.The academics from three UK universities who wrote the report said their analysis had found that 21 of 24 objective performance indicators – key council services or functions – were stable or improved.Reed homed in on the three areas that showed some decline – rent collection, tenant satisfaction with repairs and average days to re-let housing stock – and there is a clear downward trajectory on the graphs in these areas.But the report states there is no definite correlation between the trial and the declines.
“These represent only a small part of the full set of measures and may be influenced by external factors such as the cost of living crisis, contractor shortages and housing market conditions,” said Daiga Kamerade, a professor of work and wellbeing and a director of the centre for research on inclusive society at the University of Salford.“Criticism appears to be based on the assumption that working more hours automatically achieves better results, a premise not supported by the growing body of scientific evidence.”The campaign for a four-day week has grown in momentum in recent years, particularly since the Covid pandemic, but despite generally positive results scepticism remains in some quarters.The biggest trial to date involved 61 companies and about 2,900 workers from June to December 2022.Fifty-six companies chose to extend the four-day week, including 18 who made it a permanent policy.
It didn’t work in every company that adopted it,Some said it was too expensive, that they would have had to hire more staff to fill shortages and that it placed more pressure on staff on the days they did work,Most, however, said their employees were less stressed, and had reduced levels of burnout and a better work-life balance at the end of the trial,Revenues increased by an average of 35% compared with previous years, and the number of staff leaving dropped by 57%,Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionThere will inevitably be more concern about how the policy is rolled out in the public sector, when services funded by the taxpayer are on the line – and as Reed made clear, the government needs the social housing sector to be running as efficiently as possible if it is to tackle the country’s homelessness crisis.
But momentum is firmly moving in favour of more flexible working and the evidence to support its positive impact is growing more difficult to deny.Focusing on the potential negatives while denying the positives, as Reed seems to have done, is unlikely to hold much sway.
Frankie Dettori announces plan to retire from racing after Breeders Cup
Frankie Dettori has announced he will end his two-year stint in the US after the main card of the 2025 Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar, California on Saturday, before “concluding my career with a few rides in South America, something I’ve always wanted to do”.The 54-year-old jockey first announced his retirement in December 2022, saying he would take his final rides at the 2023 Breeders’ Cup, but subsequently decided to move to the lucrative US circuit instead. He has enjoyed two successful seasons, initially on the west coast and more recently from a base in Florida, and will now bow out in a prestigious meeting at the end of a career that started as a teenager in Italy.In a statement Dettori said: “It has been an honour to compete at the highest level of this sport for over four decades. I’m deeply grateful to my family, the owners, trainers, stable staff and, of course, the supporters who have made my career possible
Body image taboos holding girls back from playing sport, experts warn
Taboos around women’s bodies are holding girls back from pursuing sport into adulthood and preventing the creation of “a generation of fit and healthy women”, a parliamentary committee has heard.With surveys showing 64% of girls give up sport by the end of puberty, experts told the women and equalities committee that a complete sea change in understanding around the impact of sport on female bodies is required, but that such a change is possible and “if we get it right we’d be on a winning streak”.Speaking in front of the committee, Tanni Grey-Thompson framed the scale of the challenge after another year of great sporting success for women at the elite level. “The summer of sport has been amazing, there are always spikes in participation that follow but you have got to have more than just the inspirational moments, you have to have programmes behind it,” she said. “What’s really important is that we have a generation of fit and healthy women, and 80% are not fit enough to be healthy – and that’s because of all the barriers to participation we know about
‘This will hurt’: Edwards looks to next generation after England’s World Cup drubbing
The England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, has hinted strongly that she will be looking to a new generation of players to take England into the next World Cup cycle, after her side’s shock 125-run defeat in their semi-final against South Africa on Wednesday.“We won’t make too many rash decisions, but we’ve got to look at the future now,” Edwards told Sky Sports. “We’ve got some unbelievable talent coming through.”Of the current batters, the openers Tammy Beaumont (aged 34) and Amy Jones (32), the former captain Heather Knight (34) and the incumbent captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt (33), are all unlikely to play in another 50‑over World Cup. A question mark also hangs over the 27‑year‑old Sophia Dunkley, whose highest score all tournament was 22
Dingwall backed to plot course through the midfield maze for England
Even Steve Borthwick admits that picking his team to face Australia on Saturday was tricky. And even after he had made his mind up, there was a training ground snapshot which underlined the slim margins involved. “There was a piece of play where the skill showed by the team not starting was absolutely incredible,” said Borthwick. “I couldn’t praise them highly enough for the way they tested the team that is starting.”Which neatly sums up England’s intensifying backline debate
South Africa beat England by 125 runs: Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-final – as it happened
That’s all for today. Thanks for your company and emails – we’ll be back in the morning for the second semi-final between India and Australia. Goodnight!Very special. Losing to England in the semis of the last two [ODI] World Cups really hurt so just really pleased to get the win tonight.[Did the 69 all out feature in your mind before the game?] It did a little bit! Same opposition, same venue; your mind automatically goes back to that game
South Africa claim historic World Cup final spot as Wolvaardt blows England away
South Africa made history in Guwahati on Wednesday after a phenomenal innings from their captain, Laura Wolvaardt, and remarkable figures of five for 20 from Marizanne Kapp helped them to secure a 125-run win against England and progress to their first 50-over World Cup final.Wolvaardt took 115 balls to bring up a maiden World Cup hundred, which was reason enough to celebrate. But with wickets tumbling at the other end, and England looking like they might have an easy enough chase on their hands, she unleashed a superb display of boundary-striking, adding 69 runs in 28 balls.Wolvaardt slammed four sixes down the ground and slog‑swept Linsey Smith for 20 runs off the 47th over. Even when she holed out to Lauren Bell in the 48th over, Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk took over, hitting 16 off Smith in the 49th as England’s best death bowler was made to resemble an amateur
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