Ever feel like the weekend is over a tad too quickly? Or that the traditional work-life balance is tipped a touch too far in the direction of work? You’re not the only one. According to new research from Flexa, 48% of people looking for jobs now want a four-day working week.

That’s hardly surprising. The appeal of a four-day workweek – and thus a three-day weekend – is obvious: more time to relax, socialise, rest, catch up on life admin and whatever else you’d choose to do with an extra day of free time. And data suggests that working less could enable us to do more, better; most women believe they would be more productive if they worked a four-day week, an Australian trial of reduced hours saw productivity levels either rise or stay the same and in the UK, businesses who gave the trial a go saw no downsides, with the director of the 4 Day Week Campaign stating that “across a wide variety of sectors, wellbeing has improved dramatically for staff and business productivity has either been maintained or improved in nearly every case”.

The new research from Flexa suggests that offering a 4-day week could be key in helping businesses attract and retain talent, as it’s clearly of interest to a large portion of workers. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t look forward to the run of spring and summer bank holidays,” says Molly Johnson-Jones, LinkedIn Top Voice, flexible careers expert and CEO of Flexa. “With more time to spend on ourselves and with loved ones, bank holidays always help to bring about a buzz and leave us feeling better rested and rejuvenated on our return to work. These are rare luxuries, unless you’re among the workers whose employers offer a 4-day week. In other words: a ‘weekly bank holiday’. And why shouldn’t you be?

Fancy a 3-day weekend? 48% of UK workers want a 4-day working week