A family-run heating and plumbing specialist has made a decision to implement a four-day working week for its entire workforce while maintaining full pay.
Custom Heat, based in Rugby and operating across the Midlands and South West, will implement the work model from March 31 to August 31, 2025, following a successful six-month trial. The move is thought to position the company as the first in the heating and construction sector to adopt this approach.
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.
“We’ve been closely monitoring both employee wellbeing and business metrics throughout our trial period, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive,” says Lincoln Smith, MD at Custom Heat. “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.
Custom Heat’s initiative aligns with growing evidence supporting the four-day week model. According to data from 4dayweek.co.uk, 56 out of 61 companies that trialed 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.
“The construction and heating sectors are traditionally known for long hours and high-pressure environments,” adds Lincoln Smith. “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 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 has emphasised that normal five-day operations would continue during winter months without increasing working hours to compensate for the reduced summer schedule.
Image of Lincoln Smith courtesy of Custom Heat.
