Custom Heat, based in Rugby and operating across the Midlands and South West, has made a decision to implement a four-day working week for its entire workforce while maintaining full pay.
The company will implement the work model from 31 March to 31 August 2025, following a successful six-month trial.
Under the new arrangement, employees will receive 100% of their salary while working 80% of their contractual hours. The initiative will be implemented across the company’s Midlands and South West operations, with careful rostering to ensure continued five-day service delivery with no impact on customer experience.
Lincoln Smith, managing director at Custom Heat, said: “We’ve been closely monitoring both employee wellbeing and business metrics throughout our trial period, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive. Our goal was to create a more sustainable work environment that benefits both our team members and our business outcomes.”
The company’s three-month review of the trial revealed significant benefits: staff retention improved dramatically with a 66.67% reduction in employee turnover compared to the same period in 2023; job applications increased by 250% when positions were advertised with the four-day week benefit; and despite employees working 20% less time, service and repair sales only decreased by 5%, while installation team sales were down just 1%. Fuel costs decreased by up to 32% for some engineers, supporting the company’s sustainability goals and staff absences due to sickness fell by 17.39% compared to the three months preceding the trial.
Engineers who participated in the trial reported significant benefits both professionally and personally.
Simon Scarfe, who has been with Custom Heat for four years and in the gas industry for 25 years, added: “I was skeptical and concerned about potential income loss. But once I understood the model, I was happy to try it. Having Wednesdays off allowed me to better balance work with my commitments as a community first responder and spend more time with family.
“With the four-day week, I can dedicate more time to emergency medical response in our community. Before, I’d finish work in the evening around 6.30, and I felt I wasn’t doing the first responder scheme justice by just logging on for an hour or two. Now, with Wednesdays off, I can put in a reasonable shift and even accompany double-crewed ambulances for 12-hour shifts during the summer months. It’s made a tremendous difference to my ability to serve the community.”
Cezary Goman, a 32-year-old service and repair engineer from Coventry who has been with the company for five years, said: “When they first told me about it, I had mixed feelings. Part of me worried we weren’t busy enough, and I might lose progression opportunities or pay rises. But I was also happy to have an extra day for myself.
“For three years before the trial, I was working 6-7 days a week, trying to catch up on everything possible. For me, the four-day week felt like someone taking the pressure off. I could finally relax a little.”
According to data from 4dayweek.co.uk, 56 out of 61 companies that trialled the approach continued with it afterward. These companies reported a 35% increase in revenue, 57% reduction in staff turnover, and 25% revenue growth over the previous year. Additionally, 83% found it easier to attract talent, while 66% reported reduced employee burnout.
Lincoln added: “The construction and heating sectors are traditionally known for long hours and high-pressure environments. We’re proud to be pioneering a more sustainable approach that can potentially transform industry standards while maintaining service excellence. To our knowledge, we are the first heating and plumbing business in the UK to implement this model across the entire organisation, which puts us at the forefront of workplace innovation in our sector.”
Following the summer implementation, Custom Heat said it plans to conduct a comprehensive review to determine the viability of making the four-day summer work week a permanent fixture in their annual calendar. The company added that normal five-day operations would continue during winter months without increasing working hours to compensate for the reduced summer schedule.