Brighton recruitment agency MRL Consulting Group has decided to give staff every Friday off  but there will be no reduction in salaries.

MRL has offices in France and Germany, and staff at these locations will also go on the four-day week. 

Chief executive David Stone (pictured) commented: “We have a clear desire to enlarge our team of world class consultants, and to attract and retain the best people we need to be a world class employer.

“There are some incredible people that work for MRL, and I want us to give back to them — to make their lives better, easier and more fulfilling. We have the training in place, excellent packages and limitless career opportunities, but this is about wellness and minimising the things which can cause stress, anxiety and depression.”

Britain’s Department for Health says that 25% of people will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives. Stone said that this means employers need to take a greater responsibility to ensure they support their people where possible.

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“I don’t want to hire people who just want to work a four-day week,” he added. “I want to hire people who are good enough to do five days of work in four.

“I want to give the staff more time to relax, get the life admin done, do whatever it is they need to do when they’re not in the office; I want them to have real work-life balance. When people retire, I want them to look back and say MRL was the best place they ever worked.”

Workers in the UK face long hours, typically putting in 10 hours overtime each week and taking an average of only 34 minutes for lunch daily.

MRL staff will now have 47 more fully-paid days to themselves every year.