The Challenge

In January 2023, South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) began piloting a four-day working week for office-based staff, later expanding the trial to include non-desk-based employees, such as waste collection operatives. The model expects staff to deliver 100% of their workload in around 80% of their contracted hours, for 100% of the pay.

The initiative drew national attention, with widespread debate about whether a four-day week could enhance productivity, recruitment, and wellbeing while maintaining high-quality service delivery.

In late 2024, SCDC commissioned DJS Research to conduct an independent programme of consultation and research. The council needed robust, representative evidence of how the trial was perceived by residents, businesses, and stakeholders—both to inform future decisions and to meet statutory Best Value requirements.

The research needed to:

- Capture public, business, and stakeholder views via an open consultation.
- Deliver statistically robust, representative surveys of residents and businesses.
- Provide findings that could withstand political, public, and media scrutiny.

The Approach

Questionnaire Design

SCDC had drafted an initial questionnaire with external input. DJS Research refined and tested it to ensure clarity, robustness, and comparability across consultation strands. Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with council services both before and since the trial, with opportunities to provide open comments. Additional questions explored awareness of the trial and how a four-day week would influence job attractiveness.

Public Consultation

An online consultation ran on the Council’s website between January and March 2025, with tailored versions for SCDC and Cambridge City Council (with whom SCDC shares planning and waste services). Routes were designed for residents, businesses, and Best Value/Statutory Stakeholders (such as Citizens Advice, the Federation of Small Business, housing tenant groups, and voluntary organisations), with each audience asked only about services relevant to them. 

In total, the consultation received over 1,200 responses, including 1,048 residents, 58 businesses, and 31 stakeholders.

Representative Surveys

Two large-scale surveys, conducted by DJS Research, then provided statistically robust evidence:

- Residents survey: 1,047 interviews (847 in South Cambridgeshire and 200 in Cambridge City), using a mix of telephone and face-to-face interviewing to ensure inclusivity and representativeness.

- Business survey: 400 interviews (319 in South Cambridgeshire and 81 in Cambridge City), with quotas set by business size and sector to reflect the local economy.

Quota sampling and weighting were applied across both surveys to match the population profile by geography, age, gender, disability, and business characteristics.

Analysis

DJS Research applied a rigorous analysis framework:

- Open comments were analysed using AI-assisted text analytics, reviewed and refined by experienced coders to ensure accuracy.

- Statistical testing included Wilcoxon signed-rank and chi-squared tests to assess significance of changes and subgroup differences.

- Reliability checks ensured findings were accurate and representative.

This approach ensured results could be trusted for decision-making and would withstand scrutiny.

The Results

The programme provided SCDC with a comprehensive, independent evidence base on the four-day working week.

- The open consultation revealed a wide range of detailed views, including those submitted through external campaigns.
- The representative surveys balanced these with statistically robust insights from the wider population.
- Stakeholder engagement fulfilled statutory Best Value duties, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Together, these strands enabled SCDC to:

- Compare satisfaction with council services before and after the trial.
- Understand how views varied across demographics, business size, and sector.
- Explore broader attitudes towards the four-day week, including its influence on job attractiveness.

The findings gave SCDC the clarity and confidence to evaluate the trial and inform decisions about future workforce and service delivery.

Reflections

This project showcases DJS Research’s ability to deliver complex public consultations with methodological rigour and transparency. Key strengths included:

- A flexible, inclusive approach to survey design and fieldwork.
- Tailored stakeholder engagement meeting statutory requirements.
- Robust analysis, blending advanced AI tools with expert oversight.
- Clear, evidence-based insights to inform high-profile decision-making.

Testimonial

"Working with DJS Research provided us with the independent, robust evidence we needed to evaluate a ground-breaking policy trial. The team demonstrated professionalism, methodological rigour, and the ability to deliver complex consultation and survey work to the highest standard. Their findings have given us the confidence to make informed decisions about the future of the four-day working week." 

South Cambridgeshire District Council