Hutch, the renowned automotive mobile game developer and winner of the Gamesindustry.biz 2021 Best Places to Work Award, has announced its participation in a six-month trial of a four-day working week. The trial, led by 4 Day Week Global, is set to run from June to December 2022 for all Hutch staff across their studios in London, Dundee, and Nova Scotia.
Since its inception, Hutch has been a company committed to enabling its team to have the best possible work-life balance. Founded by a leadership team who all experienced challenging working conditions at AAA games studios, Hutch sought to build itself with a ‘no-crunch’ culture in mind, with hybrid working as standard.
The trial of a four-day working week this summer is part of an effort to further improve Hutch’s commitment to supporting its staff. The pilot program sets out with the ambition of enhancing organizational productivity, sustainability, and improving the distribution of responsibility for parents and carers, alongside other advantages. This will be an insightful exercise to monitor the sentiment from Hutch’s team, where feedback will be gathered and assessed for objective review throughout the trial.
Hutch will be part of the pilot coordinated by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with the UK think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign, and researchers at Cambridge University, Boston College, and Oxford University.
Shaun Rutland, CEO of Hutch, said:
“When we started Hutch 10 years ago, enabling our team to have the best possible work-life balance was a priority. We’ve had a decade of tweaking the way we work, and we think the four-day work week supports our ethos for the future of Hutch. Joining the trial was, naturally, a perfect opportunity to empower Hutch even more. It has the potential to improve productivity and overall employee health, create stronger families and communities, and improve gender equality, to help create a more sustainable work environment.”
Charmaine St John, Head of People at Hutch, added:
“The 4 Day Week Pilot Programme is a fantastic initiative, and we’re delighted to be involved. It’s an excellent opportunity to offer Hutchies even more flexibility in their work-life balance. The scheme will allow us to create a more energized and efficient workforce, as well as having a positive impact on gender equality by enabling a better distribution of caring responsibilities between parents.”
