Which sounds like a pretty compelling case for experimenting with shortened hours. Medical Xpress covers all medical research advances and health news, Tech Xplore covers the latest engineering, electronics and technology advances, Science X Network offers the most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web. Everyone in the office is much happier and we get a lot more work done because of it. Leah Ryz believes a shorter work week actually spurs employees on to get more accomplished. This is a progressive philosophy shared by Ajit Nawalkha. What we also found is when we give people flexibility, their availability increases in times of emergency [...] They understand that sometimes a company emergency occurs and at these times they become more available because they can see how much care the company is giving to them. The content is provided for information purposes only. While discussing the motivation behind the introduction of the four-day work week, it became clear that the underlying reason for such flexibility was a deep appreciation for rest and work-life balance. This degree of flexibility means our ranks are filled with content, loyal and engaged employees.”. "Data from jobs marketplace ZipRecruiter shows that in 2020, so far, the share of company job postings offering four-day work weeks is 69 for every 10,000 job postings. These experts shared their reasons for shaking up the status quo, how the change has impacted their businesses, and the effect it has had on recruitment and retention. Some fear it will "wreck" the economy. In our research we have also highlighted that the benefits of this arrangement aren't just for businesses and the world of work. Interestingly, Katie, as a proponent of complete flexibility, believes that the four-day workweek doesn’t go far enough: “You need to give [your employees] the option of working around life's little emergencies and still be able to meet that deadline, without them feeling judged or feeling like they've underachieved. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Katie Henry is unafraid to use flexible working as a recruitment perk: “We definitely promote the fact that work can be done flexibly because we want to attract the best talent. There are no afternoon slumps or Monday blues because it gives people a chance to recharge and live their lives. "Data from jobs marketplace ZipRecruiter shows that in 2020, so far, the share of company job postings offering four-day work weeks is 69 for every 10,000 job postings. Meanwhile, research by the Centre for Policy Studies, a center-right think tank, also found that reducing the hours of public sector employees would mean at best a £17 billion cost for the Treasury and at worst a possible £45 billion cost, assuming no increase in productivity and a need to expand the workforce in public services. We’ve found that when people feel respected and are shown consideration, they tend to not take advantage of this flexibility. Productivity soars after Aussie company introduces four-day work week. Meanwhile, Stephen Titchener is less eager to open with flexible working as a recruitment perk. For others, it will mean streamlining needlessly complex processes. Some people are morning people, some people are night people. By Stuart Hearn More from Physics Forums | Science Articles, Homework Help, Discussion. Other companies have implemented the four-day working week and also reported an increment in staff productivity. this crisis is the perfect time for companies to experiment with a four-day workweek, people are often more productive working from home, less time at work often leads to better ideas and more output. Employers: 3-Minute Guide, Refine Your Talent Acquisition Strategy with Powerful Glassdoor Analytics, What Is Employee Engagement & Why Does It Matter, Party-Planning Checklist for a Virtual World, How to Showcase Employee Health Benefits and Recruit Top Talent, 4 Ways To Deliver Constructive Criticism Remotely Without Altering Employee Morale, Glassdoor Announces Criteria for the Top CEOs in 2019, How to Capitalize on Employees' First Quarter Itch. If we add this to the savings made by businesses that already implement a four-day week, we'd get a total combined saving of roughly £104 billion a year. It only makes sense that as you look to the future, you question everything about how your company runs. Katie continues, “Our entire filing system is on the Cloud, we have meetings via Skype, we keep track of ideas and communications for each project using, , and our CRM software (which also tracks our project tasks) is on the cloud. “Our employees can choose when they work. Flexibility is a top workplace perk, and one that is guaranteed to attract top talent. This experiment suggests the arrangement might be applicable to larger corporations and in one of the countries most affected by a workaholic culture. We all benefit from being part of this amazingly supportive team and culture of trust.”. , and one that is guaranteed to attract top talent. Rochelle White’s PR agency is introducing four-day work weeks in 2019, after discovering that her team generally performed better after a break. It emphasizes the importance of allowing employees to work. In addition to the reduction of energy and paper use experienced by Microsoft Japan, we think that fewer journeys to and from work provides a potentially large green dividend with less fuel consumption and a reduction in pollution.