The subject of a 4 day working week is one that is becoming more talked about in recent times, and more companies are looking into implementing a change to the traditional Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm (or later) working week
There was a discussion on this subject that I listened to on the radio today, and apparently as well as the fact that in the UK we work way longer hours than any of our European counterparts, we are also ranked 7th in the G7 and 17th in the G20 when it comes to productivity levels.
The working population – and it would seem from those stats the improvement of our productivity, seems to be pointing towards making a significant change to the traditional working week.
It would make sense then that employers who embrace these changes in our society, are potentially going to be a much more attractive proposition than those who don’t. Moreover, if this is something that the workers of today are putting more credence in then that would mean them being able to attract the best talent to their businesses.
Of course a 4 day working week is not that simple to implement in any or all sectors, as there are many things to consider before this can be done, but flexible working can come in many ways.
Technology advances of course help with this, so working from home is a lot easier to facilitate. Condensed hours is also an option. However the companies who were on discussing the topic today had asked people to look honestly at themselves and their daily productivity, and how they can improve on that.The result of that honest self appraisal and a full staff commitment to streamline their days and increase focus, they swapped everyone onto a 4 day week, with more time at home with their families or living their lives away from their desk. This has apparently led to less absence, a better staff attraction & retention rate and a better output from the majority of staff
Whatever your thoughts on the subject are, it seems there is a change in the air, and employers of all sizes would do well to give some consideration to what they can offer their team in this regard, that does not affect the ability of the business to deliver best service to their clients, but provides their most valuable assets with greater balance between time at work and time at home.
Have a great 2 day weekend
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