Local heating firm contributes to House of Commons discussions on four-day working week

A Coventry and Rugby-based heating and plumbing firm has been invited to contribute to discussions at the House of Commons on working time reduction.

Terri-Anne Smith, Accounts and Communications Director at Custom Heat, attended the Working Time Council this month (October), where trade union leaders, industry representatives, MPs and researchers gathered to discuss reclaiming time and making the case for a four-day, 32-hour week with no loss of pay.

Custom Heat ran a four-day week trial from March to August 2025, achieving Gold Standard accreditation from the 4 Day Week Foundation. The trial saw a 1.66% increase in quarterly sales despite staff working 20% fewer hours, alongside a 67% drop in staff turnover and 57% fewer sick days.

The event, which took place on 21st October at the House of Commons, included contributions from MP for Ribble Valley, and Peter Dowd, MP for Bootle, alongside short speaker contributions featuring evidence from the latest studies, industry and business representatives, and trade unions.

Discussions covered the four-day week spectrum, the most significant changes experienced or expected from a four-day week, and how time shapes collective wellbeing. Attendees also discussed what it will take for wider rollout, how to resource and drive the change, and what the logistics and operations of the Working Time Council should look like.

Mrs Smith contributed to discussions about how time shapes collective wellbeing, raising concerns about the impact of modern working patterns on child mental health and the neurodivergence boom in children. She argued that when two-parent households are forced to work full time to meet financial demands, this has significant bearing on child wellbeing, and that a nationally adopted four-day week could help families achieve better balance.

Mrs Smith also raised important challenges that the four-day week movement must address, observing that current trial data may be biased because only progressive companies with healthier work cultures have volunteered for trials.

"If a company is operating in survival mode, which many businesses are because of the harsh economic climate, a four-day week would not be sufficient to see the benefits that the movement proclaims," Mrs Smith said. "A company must have a culture and climate of empowerment, belonging and shared value. Without this, the four-day week is less likely to be positively impactful. Cultivating a growth and belonging climate is a prerequisite for success."

Mrs Smith said the House of Commons experience had reignited her passion for working time reduction. "I went into the discussion thinking that to influence change, we must target business owners. However, I realised the power of the people and how with collective power, change could be forced for the wellbeing of everyone in society."

Following discussions with representatives, Mrs Smith is now exploring whether a 35-hour working week might be a more realistic first step for businesses facing economic challenges.

"We balance the desire to improve work-life balance for our amazing team with the reality that we have industry-specific hurdles," she explained. "Company culture has to be right before taking this risk, and that's an agenda point for us in the coming months."