Now I don't know about you, but personally the government introducing a four-day working week would be being like told as an adult that Santa actually exists (guys: it would be bank holiday EVERY weekend). While you might have woken up on one or two Mondays thinking they should be abolished altogether, it turns out that we might actually be a little closer to the four-day week than we think.
According to a recent Yougov survey, all seven countries in Europe believe that a reduced working week should be introduced. Briton's are amongst the most enthusiastic for a four-day week, with 63% of us supporting the introduction of a shorter working week. 63% of Swedes are also on board with the idea, while Finland are the most enthusiastic county at 65%.
It's also not something that is entirely off the table in politics: in November 2018 it was suggested that Labour party members were looking into the possibility of reducing the working week to four days, as The Guardian reported that Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell was in discussions with Lord Skidelsky, an economist, regarding an independent inquiry into the possibility of cutting the working week down from five days to four.
Sadly there's no call to get too over-excited yet (sorry): Lord Skidelsky did not confirm whether or not he had made recommendations to reduce the working week but he did confirm that it was under consideration and McDonnell hinted that the pledge to reduce the working week might possibly appear as part of Labours manifesto, stating in a BBC interview 'we will see how it goes'.
The Yougov survey, which was carried out this week indicated that in 2019 31% of Brits believe a four day week would make us more prosperous while 45% think it would make us more productive and 71% believe it would make the nation happier - a big increase since the poll was last carried out in 2014.
So will we be getting a four-day working week any time soon? Labour have remained tight-lipped about the independent inquiry reportedly being carried out by McDonnell and Skidelsky. For now, Skidelsky said he had 'nothing definite to say', while Labour representatives has said that it's not party policy to back a shorter working week. In MacDonell's comments to the BBC in November he said 'We will look at the working week because I think people are working too long'. The idea of the four-day working week was originally called for by the TUC who suggested in a report in 2018 that 81% of workers want to reduce their working time while 45% support the introduction of a four-day week.
But while it might be a way off, with increasing numbers of workers calling for a reduced working week and a reported independent inquiry into the possibility perhaps we're closer to year-round bank holiday weekends than we think? (Although yes, it would probably have a disastrous effect on the Monday-meme industry).