A group of 200 UK businesses and charities have decided to shorten their work week to four days without a loss in pay. These companies employ more than 5,000 people, and most of their businesses involve office work like marketing, tech, IT, and software. This was organized by the ‘4 Day Week Foundation’ which believes that a happier, more balanced workforce brings higher productivity. They see it as a win-win situation, giving employees better lives, and employers increased efficiency. This sentiment is not shared by most workplaces, but the Foundation feels that market competition will change their minds. They are betting that firms with four day work weeks will prove to be just as productive or more so than traditional ones. Economics says that, if enjoying more free time leads to greater employee retention and motivation, then these four day work week firms will begin to out-compete the old ones, which in turn will be forced to adapt or risk losing market share. Time will tell.