The Landmark London, a high-end hotel in London, is trialing a 4-day week for its chefs, according to City AM:

The scheme has been devised by Executive Head Chef Gary Klaner as part of the hotel’s ambition to deliver a better work/life balance for chefs and improve the working environment in hospitality industry kitchens, the company said….

The scheme will start in The Landmark London’s Winter Garden Restaurant. If successful, it will be rolled out to the hotel’s other kitchens, including the Great Central Bar and the Hub, the newly opened staff restaurant, “depending on its success,” the company said.

“Along with a four day week, the scheme will also increase pay for chefs across the hotel in recognition of the hours they work,” the Landmark wrote.

“Productivity will be maintained through a recruitment drive in January and February, which will increase the number of kitchen staff that the hotel employs,” the hotel clarified.

The fact that they’re increasing kitchen staff suggests that this change will apply to the entire kitchen, not just the head chefs.

Hospitality and Catering News also notes that they’ve

invested £10m in state-of-the-art kitchens and back of house areas including staff facilities. The facilities include a new restaurant for team members, with its own open plan kitchens and designated team, a new academy for the team to learn and develop in a variety of skills, behaviour, cultural and management development programmes, as well as development programmes for those entering the industry.

This is something I often saw when writing SHORTER: companies that move to 4-day weeks are often making lots of investments in professional development, better equipment, or other things to improve the working lives of employees.