A FIRM which left Altrincham to focus on remote work in the midst of the pandemic is now set to switch to a four-day working week.

Marketing Signals was based in Builder House, but staff at the search engine marketing specialists are now spread all over the country.

Gareth Hoyle, the managing director of the firm, explained it is important to be flexible in the post-pandemic world.

To this end, the staff are now set to switch to a four-day working week of 32 hours with no reduction in their salaries.

Gareth, who lives in Wilmslow, told The Messenger: "As long as we do the work we're assigned to do, I don't mind.

"I actually believe most of my clients won't even notice – as long as we get the work done, who cares?"

To achieve a four-day week, the team at Marketing Signals is to be split in two, with each team allowed a four-day weekend on alternate weeks.

Gareth admitted the decision was a selfish one, as a divorced dad who wants to spend extra time with his children, but he suggested the team also embraced the idea of a better work-life balance.

The managing director said: "I don't think it will be without its challenges. We'll learn as we go along.

"But let's be honest, no one said no to it.

"I can't see us going back, to be honest.

"Once we're all used to the freedom, why would we go back?"

The idea of the four-day week is attracting a lot of attention in the UK at the moment, with a pilot scheme involving 60 firms with around 3,000 staff to start in the summer and run for six months.

And Gareth's announcement about Marketing Signals attracted a lot of attention on LinkedIn too, with around 2.5 million impressions, 500,000 reactions and 7,500 comments at the time of writing.

He said: "If I'd known, I would've got one of my copywriters to take a look at it before I posted it!"