Louis Bloomsfield inspects the kegs of beer at his north London brewery, looking forward to June, when he will have an extra day off every week.

The 36-year-old brewer intends to utilise the opportunity to volunteer for charity, begin a long-overdue particle physics course, and spend more time with his family.

With 3,000 others from 60 UK enterprises, he and his colleagues at the Pressure Drop brewery are participating in a six-month trial of a four-day work week.

The experiment, which is being billed as the world’s largest so far, intends to assist businesses in reducing their working hours without compromising salaries or income.

Spain, Iceland, the United States, and Canada have all conducted similar trials. Australia and New Zealand will be the first to begin.

The trial would provide businesses “extra time” to work through difficulties, experiment with new processes, and gather data, according to Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, a programme manager at 4 Day Week Global, the advocacy group behind it.

Smaller businesses should have an easier time adapting because they can make major changes more quickly, he told AFP.

Pressure Drop, situated in Tottenham Hale, hopes that the experiment will boost not only the productivity but also the well-being of its personnel.

At the same time, their carbon footprint will be reduced.

Another trial participant, the Royal Society of Biology, says it wants to give employees “greater authority over their time and working routines.”

Both companies expect that a shortened work week will help them retain employees at a time when the UK economy is struggling.