A bank is set to become the first bank in the United Kingdom to trial a four-day working week.

Charity Bank, a loans and saving bank in Tonbridge High Street, started their pilot 28-hour week on Monday.

Tonbridge boss Ed Siegel speaking about the new pilot programme

Employees will have the same pay and benefits if they choose to move to a four-day week while the company continues to offer the same level of customer service.

It comes as thousands of UK workers are starting a four-day work week with no cut to their pay in the largest trial of its kind.

The pilot, which will last for six months, involves 3,300 workers spanning 70 companies, ranging from financial services to takeaways..

The scheme will focus on productivity, outputs and results, and will adopt the "100:80:100" model – which means employees will receive 100 percent of their pay while working 80 percent of their contracted hours, in exchange for a commitment to maintain at least 100 percent productivity.

Charity Bank’s chief executive Ed Siegel said: “As an ethical bank we are constantly looking at ways to deliver increased societal impact through our values-driven approach - that's what makes the four-day working week such a good fit for us.”

“We have long been a champion of flexible working, but the pandemic really moved the goalposts in this regard.

"We’ve all seen the benefits, and the experience has led us to reassess what good looks like. For Charity Bank the move to a four-day work week seems a natural next step.”

“With a meaningful redesign of the way we work, we expect to improve efficiency without affecting productivity whilst enhancing the physical and mental health of our colleagues.

"In essence, a happier and healthier workforce is more productive and delivers superior customer service which enables us to do more for the charities and social enterprises we exist to serve.

“By valuing productivity over time spent, we aim to bridge the gap often felt between full-time and part-time staff, removing any possible barriers to promotion and progression.

"We anticipate that the shorter working week will also help us attract a more diverse workforce and encourage people who would previously have been unable to commit to the standard five-day working week to join us.

"As well as benefitting colleagues, the shorter work week will help us to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction in the frequency of commuting and by eliminating unnecessary meetings and travel.

“The 20th-century concept of a five-day working week is no longer the best fit for 21st-century business.

"We firmly believe that a four-day week with no change to salary or benefits will create a happier workforce and will have an equally positive impact on business productivity, customer experience and our social mission.

"We are proud to be the first UK bank to reduce its work week from a standard 35 hours to 28 hours for the same pay and benefits. As one of our Board members put it, we believe ‘this trial will put Charity Bank on the right side of history.’"

In 2018 Reflect Digital, a marketing agency in Maidstone, became the first in Kent to create a four-day work week.