The boss of a company in Wigan where staff only work four days a week claims they’re “more productive” than they were before.
Belmont Packaging and its e-commerce sister business, Boxed-Up – which are based in the Hindley Green area of Wigan, and specialise in plain and printed corrugated cardboard – first began trialling the four-day week within its manufacturing department back in late 2019, with the aim of giving staff more time to focus on “themselves, their mental health and their loved ones”.
After the trial was deemed to be a “roaring success”, the company then decided to switch up the rotas and introduce the four-day week permanently in 2021.
This means that the 30+ staff at the company now only work four 10-hour days a week.
The company’s owner, Kate Hulley, admitted that there was initially “huge suspicion” from her employees back when the four-day work week trial first started, with many expressing concerns about how it would actually work, but it soon proved to be successful.
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Wigan business owner says staff who only work four days a week are ‘more productive’ / Credit: Belmont Packaging
Ms Hulley told the BBC that the new working schedule has not only given staff “more quality time with family”, but has even made them “more productive” overall than their previous way of working.
“Staff have been able to spend more quality time with their families,” Ms Hulley explained, “and they’re ready to start back on Monday after a three-day weekend.”
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One of the workers at the company’s Hindley Green site, Stacey Galloway, has also hailed the four-day work week for allowing her to get on top of all her life admin and housework, explaining to the BBC: “Before we went to the four day week, my weekends were spent washing, cooking cleaning, ironing.
“But now, on a Friday I can do all that while the kids are at school.”
Kate Hulley, the owner of Belmont Packaging / Credit: Belmont Packaging
News that Belmont Packaging’s working schedule is still proving successful comes after it was revealed earlier this year that 91% of the UK companies that took part in the world’s largest four-day work pilot said they would continue with it now the trial has ended.
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The groundbreaking trial involved more than 60 companies and 3,300 workers spanning a variety of industries.
Staff taking part in the trial were given 100% of their pay for 80% of their time on the understanding that they maintain maximum productivity over the four days.
Featured Image – Belmont Packaging
Business
Manchester Airport releases statement after customer data stolen in ‘targeted’ cyber security attack
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has released a formal statement after data was stolen from 8.7 million customers in a ‘targeted’ cyber security attack yesterday.
Manchester Airport Group (MAG) – which operates Manchester Airport, Stansted, and East Midlands Airport – said the cyber security incident happened at around 1pm yesterday (Thursday 27 August), and that the data seized from 8.7 million customers included email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations, and postcodes.
The data that was stolen related to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings, and in-airport WiFi sign-ups, MAG stated.
It was initially confirmed that the system the hackers accessed did not hold customers’ bank or payment details, however, and that all other regular airport operations and customer parking continued uninterrupted.
Manchester Airport has now released a formal statement to reassure customers that they are taking the matter ‘extremely seriously’.
The statement reads: “Manchester Airport Group has been subject to a cyber security incident by an unauthorised third party.
“A quantity of customer data has been obtained that relates to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings and in-airport WIFI sign-ups at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports.
“We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems. We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities, and at no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised.”
MAG insisted that the incident had not resulted in any ‘operational disruption’, adding: “Airport operations remain unaffected and customer parking services continue to operate normally.
“Neither MAG nor the system accessed hold customers’ bank or payment details. The data that has been accessed includes customers’ email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes.
“We would like to reassure customers that Manchester Airport Group takes the security of customer information extremely seriously, and we apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused.”
Featured Image – MAG
Business
Workers at major Manchester city centre hotel to strike this bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
Workers at one of the most prominent hotels in Manchester city centre are set to strike this bank holiday weekend.
Workers at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and its bar venue The Refuge, who are members of the union Unite, will take 24 hours of strike action on Saturday (29 August) in what is said to be a ‘long-running dispute’ over union busting.
The strike day chosen by the workers is the second day of this year’s Manchester Village Pride, and is historically the most lucrative day of the year for their employer.
This is because Kimpton Clocktower is located very close to the Pride Parade route, and for several years has been a very popular location for people attending the festival, and even runs a number of Pride events itself.
Unite says that for months now, workers at the Kimpton Clocktower – which is owned by InterContinental Hotels Group UK (IHG) – have been asking for formal union recognition to improve conditions after raising several issues with management, but IHG UK has refused this and instead ‘targeted’ the union for its actions.
Workers at a major Manchester city centre hotel are set to strike this bank holiday weekend / Credit: Rebecca Hope Photography (Supplied)
Previous strikes have already taken place this summer, apparently causing ‘financial hits’ to the business in the process – with the bar being forced to close early at several events as there were not enough staff to cover them.
“A strike on Kimpton’s most profitable day is entirely of its own making,” commented Unite regional officer, Alison Treacher. “Throughout this dispute, Kimpton Clocktower management have treated its loyal workforce with contempt and our members have shown they will not stand for it.
“There is still time to avoid this highly disruptive strike action, but that relies on IHG changing tack by listening to its members and giving them the union recognition they have long been calling for.”
This dispute is said to be the first ever hospitality strike in the North West.
Unite is currently running a petition demanding that IHG UK stop targeting union activists, recognise the Kimpton workers rights to have their grievance heard collectively, and support their union recognition campaign.
Emily Sergeant -
5th July 2023 
