The global trend toward a 4-day workweek is gaining momentum, with significant pilot programs and policy experiments occurring mainly in Europe, the UK, Australia, and parts of Asia.

Notably, Portugal launched a government-funded trial engaging 39 private companies using the "100-80-100" model—100% pay for 80% time while maintaining 100% productivity—to reduce stress and burnout and assess economic and environmental impacts.

Likewise, the UK's largest experiment involved 61 companies and nearly 3,000 employees, where 92% chose to continue the 4-day model, citing stable or improved productivity, reduced burnout, better employee well-being, and lower turnover.

Similar results in the UK showed absenteeism decreasing by 65%, revenue increases, and significant enhancements in work-life balance.

Globally, over 90% of companies participating in trials reported intentions to sustain reduced workweeks, with reported improvements in mental and physical health, job satisfaction, and sleep quality across diverse industries .

The benefits of a 4-day workweek extend beyond productivity.

Employees report substantial improvements in mental health, reduced stress and burnout, enhanced work-life balance, and higher job satisfaction.

Flexible schedules including 4-day weeks play a critical role in talent attraction and retention, as seen in the UK, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Environmental benefits arise from decreased commuting and energy usage.

Furthermore, companies note cost savings and enhanced recruitment outcomes.

For instance, in Australia, nearly 70% of workers believe a 4-day week can be implemented within five years, forecasting reduced absenteeism and enhanced retention.

Sector-specific adaptation shows tech

and IT firms more readily adopt the model due to their work nature, while customer-facing sectors and healthcare face greater challenges .

However, barriers to implementation are significant.

The global trend toward a 4-day workweek is gaining momentum, with significant pilot programs and policy experiments occurring mainly in Europe, the UK, Australia, and parts of Asia.

Title:

Content: news

Portugal Just Launched a ‘Government-Funded' 4-Day Workweek Trial

Portugal is the latest country to experiment with a four-day workweek, and businesses are getting an assist from the government.

For the next six months, 39 private-sector businesses in the country will participate in a "government-funded" pilot program in partnership with 4 Day Week Global, the nonprofit behind several prominent four-day workweek experiments around the world, according to a release from the group.

Employers have agreed to reduce the number of hours employees work every week from without cutting their pay through the 100-80-100 model: Workers get 100% of the pay for working 80% of the time in exchange for delivering 100% of their usual output.

Some 72% of the Portuguese labor force works more than 40 hours per week, making it the OECD country with the third-longest average workweek after the United Kingdom and Ireland, according to a report from University of London and University of Reading researchers overseeing the program.

Most of the businesses in the experiment are in the professional, scientific and technical fields, but the program's cohort also includes a nursery, care home, stem cells bank, research and development center, and firms from manufacturing, retail and nonprofit sectors.

Businesses say they want to see if a shortened workweek will help reduce employee stress and burnout, and in turn improve worker retention. Researchers also hope to track the economic, social and environmental implications of a four-day business week in Portugal.

4 Day Week Global has led several high-profile experiments around the world, which have gained momentum throughout the pandemic as businesses and employees began to re-think the modern work experience.

A trial in the U.S. last year proved to be wildly popular, with workers reporting they performed better and were less burned out. Many said they could never return to a traditional five-day week, or at least not without a significant pay bump. Employers benefited, too: Businesses reported an 8% increase in revenue throughout the trial period, and a 38% increase from the same time period a year prior.

4 Day Week Global's largest experiment to date included nearly 3,000 workers throughout the U.K. last year, with participants reporting better health, finances and relationships.

Although no country has fully adopted a four-day workweek, trials have run in South Africa, Belgium, Iceland, Japan and elsewhere.

Portugal has become a popular destination for American millennials looking to relocate internationally thanks to its affordable living and good weather. The number of Americans residing in Portugal is at its highest level in more than a decade, according to the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service. There were about 7,000 Americans living in the country at the end of 2021, more than double three years earlier.

And the country launched its own digital nomad visa last year, making it even easier for workers from any countries that aren't part of the European Union or European Economic Area to start a new life abroad.

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Notably, Portugal launched a government-funded trial engaging 39 private companies using the "100-80-100" model—100% pay for 80% time while maintaining 100% productivity—to reduce stress and burnout and assess economic and environmental impacts.

Likewise, the UK's largest experiment involved 61 companies and nearly 3,000 employees, where 92% chose to continue the 4-day model, citing stable or improved productivity, reduced burnout, better employee well-being, and lower turnover.

Similar results in the UK showed absenteeism decreasing by 65%, revenue increases, and significant enhancements in work-life balance.

Title:

Content: How about four days a week instead of five?
Here are the results of an exciting experiment involving 60 companies around the world.
More than 60 companies participated in the experiment, allowing around 3,000 employees to work one day less per week while retaining the same salary.
Rates of stress, burnout and fatigue all fell, while problems with sleep declined, the study shows.
Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
MAIN POINTS
• The study found that more than 9 out of 10 companies will continue to shorten the work week or plan to do so
• Productivity was not affected by lighter work weeks, with the company ’ s revenue increasing by an average of 1.4 per cent over the trial period
The study also found that employment increased and absenteeism decreased.
A four-day workweek is more productive for most employees and businesses than the traditional five-day workweek, and is one of the largest trials ever conducted in the UK.
More than 60 companies in the UK participated in the trial over a six-month period, allowing around 3,000 employees to work one day less per week while retaining the same salary.
The trial was conducted between June and December and was organized by a nonprofit group called 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with the Autonomy Research Center, the University of Cambridge, and Boston College in the United States.
The experience is described as the largest in the world around working four days a week.
The survey released on Tuesday found that more than nine out of 10 companies would continue to adopt or plan to do so, while only 4 percent chose not to extend it, regulators said in a statement.
Juliette Shore, a professor at Boston College, said: “The results are largely the same across workplaces of all sizes, demonstrating that this innovation has proven to be effective in many diverse organizations.
Productivity was not affected by shorter working days, with the company ’ s revenue increasing by an average of 1.4% over the trial period.
Revenue jumped 35% on average when compared to similar periods in previous years.
The study also found that employment increased and absenteeism decreased, while the number of resignations dropped sharply during the trial.
In addition, the researchers concluded that overall health and staff well-being improved.
"Significant" increases were also observed in physical and mental health, time spent on exercise, public life and job satisfaction.
Stress, fatigue and fatigue rates have decreased, while sleep problems have decreased.
"Really positive."
Cambridge University professor Brendan Burchell told AFP: “In terms of employees, their mental health improved, they slept better, and they became less stressed.
“But at the same time, companies have stated that if there are changes in their profits or in their performance, they are more likely to go up rather than down. ”
“A lot of people were very happy, people really enjoyed it; and they found it good to have three-day weekends instead of two days. ”
Environmental consultancy Tyler Grange in the UK was among 18 companies that decided to permanently adopt a four-day work week after participating in the trial.
Nathan Jenkinson, customer manager at Tyler Grange, told AFP: “My experience has been really positive, you can see it in people ’ s work and they ’ re more active.
“Employees come to work at the beginning of the week on Monday, after three days off, feel more positive about work and have a lot of energy. ”
Tyler Grange said performance improved slightly despite reduced working hours.
In recent years, studies of the four-day workweek have spread globally as employers explore the nature of post-pandemic work, including the concept of a co-working place that allows more work from home.
Short-week experiments were conducted across Europe, the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
However, when asked whether the UK government might adopt the test as a national policy, Prime Minister ’ s spokesman Rishi Sonak sounded cautious and stated, “There are no plans for that. ”
Continue the dialogue via our accounts on and
Check out the latest Australian news and topics you ’ re interested in.
You can also listen to our programs on or through the free SBS Radio app.
You can also watch news at any time on SBS On Demand.
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Published at 22 / 02 / 2023 1: 59pm
Presented by: Nassif Khoury
Source: AFP
Available in other languages
The subject.

Globally, over 90% of companies participating in trials reported intentions to sustain reduced workweeks, with reported improvements in mental and physical health, job satisfaction, and sleep quality across diverse industries .

Title:

Content: The final results show that most companies will not return to the five-day working week, and have the advantages of rising revenue performance and a sharp reduction in turnover, the biggest change is a reduction in the proportion of employees tired, and an extra day of leave can be more balanced between life and work.
The project was carried out by researchers from the non-profit organization 4 Day Week Global, UK think tank Autonomy, Boston College, Cambridge and Oxford University, with 61 organizations and nearly 3,000 employees across industries such as banking, education, IT and retail.
Companies can choose to let employees take an extra day off or reduce their working hours to 80% of the original, but the salary and work output must be the same as the original standard.
As a result, 56 of the 61 companies were willing to maintain the three-day weekend, and 18 of them were willing to make the policy permanent.
Through this trial, up to 71% of employees have reduced their burnout rate, 39% of employees have been relieved of stress, and the probability of employees taking temporary leave has dropped by 65%. For employers, the revenue of some enterprises during the trial period has increased by more than one-third over the same period last year, and employee efficiency has improved.
The UK trial is similar to the results of smaller trials conducted in the US, Ireland and Australia in December, which have previously shown a rise in revenue and staff productivity, as well as a decline in absenteeism and turnover.
# 3 days off week # turnover rate # burnout # business # 4 days work

The benefits of a 4-day workweek extend beyond productivity.

Title:

Content: Interest in the four-day week has been on the rise in recent years with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating the shift in how businesses organise their teams while employees are looking a6t how to achieve a better work life balance.

Currently, more than 3300 workers at 70 companies are working a four-day week with no loss of pay in the biggest ever four-day week pilot to take place anywhere in the world.

They are more than half way through the six-month trial, which started on June 6. It is based on the principle of the 100:80:100 model - 100% of the pay for 80% of the time, in exchange for a commitment to maintain at least 100% productivity.

Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, one of the organisations behind the campaign, said: “Companies should embrace the four-day week as a way of boosting productivity, improving wellbeing and to help with job retention. The 9-5, 5 day working week is outdated and no longer fit for purpose.”

At BusinessLive, we've been covering the trend for a number of years and for this article, we check in with firms from right across the UK to see how it's going.

From early adopters to businesses that have made the change in recent months, we find out how things are working out from both a business and employee perspective.

The responses are honest and explain the pros and cons.

We firmly believe the four-day week is the future of working life

Atom Bank

Durham

Challenger bank Atom last November became the largest UK business to move all employees to a four-day working week, with no change of salary.
The Durham business, which now has 480 staff, made the shift in recognition of people having longer working lives, the positive impact of technology, flexible working and the need to live and work more sustainably.
More than six months on, Atom has seen a noticeable positive impact that the shift has had on employees, customer service, and operations.

Anne-Marie Lister, chief people officer at Atom, said: “Over six months on from introducing our new four-day working week, it’s clear that it has been a huge success for our business and our people.
“People are rightly looking for a healthier work/life balance, and despite warnings from some sceptics, our metrics and people surveys show that this has not had a negative impact on employees or customer service. In fact, it has been the opposite, with happier, more efficient, and more productive people who are even more driven to help us change banking for the better.
“We firmly believe the four-day week is the future of working life and it is encouraging to now see the range of businesses across the UK embracing the four-day week trials."

One objective was to attract and retain talent more effectively and data reveals this has been a success, having seen a 500% surge in job applications following its launch.
Headcount has grown from 461 in November 2021 to 480 in June 2022, thanks also to a reduction in the number of departures. Atom said this has been vital, with the fight for talent becoming fiercely competitive following the widespread adoption of hybrid working following the pandemic.
Productivity levels have also been measured by each department, with metrics specific to each of the 10 departments. Data collated for the six months to April reveals that across all of the 165 departmental metrics tracked, the success rate has improved.
Employees are also more motivated working a four-day week too. Almost all (92%) report that they look forward to work, and there has been a 13% increase in people engagement between February 2022 and 12 months earlier. Days lost to sickness have also declined since the introduction of the new working structure, dropping from 100 in the month of November 2021, to 72 in June 2022.
Meanwhile, in terms of Atom’s impact on customer service, its Trust Pilot score has risen from 4.54 at the start of the new working structure to 4.82 in June.

What do Atom employees say?

As to how staff members use their time off, Paul, contact centre team leader, said: “I’ve been using my extra day off to do an advanced motorcyclist course so I can volunteer for Northumbria Blood Bikes as a rider, transporting blood from surgeries to hospitals.”
Jonathon, telephone business development manager, said: “The four-day working week has allowed me to spend some quality time with my three year old son Jack. Spending our time in the best soft plays & swimming pools Sunderland has to offer, before dropping him off & picking him up from nursery. Without this day off, I would rarely be able to have this quality time together during the week.”

In short, I’ve been a dad

Merthyr Valleys Homes

Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Valley Homes adopted a 30-hour week in the four day working week pilot scheme without loss of pay.

Some staff member are working a four day week and some are working shorter hours over five days to ensure service provision over five days.

The biggest challenge for the firm has been finding ways to work differently while ensuring services aren’t impacted, however it has tried out new approaches during the pilot and says it has found “some very quick wins”.

A spokesperson said: “We have been working on how best to measure success and we are developing a number of new performance measures as a direct result of participating in the trial.”

A positive outcome has been the cooperation between teams and directorates.

“The conversations around how to work more efficiently have been really interesting and it has given everyone a reason to take the time to look at this collectively.”

The company has also seen support for the scheme from its stakeholders and the housing sector in Wales, and has attracted a wide range of candidates to apply for its job vacancies.

Of the advice it would give to other businesses thinking of moving to a four day week, the firm says: “Don’t be too prescriptive and set too many rules - our colleagues have been our greatest asset in designing their own solutions.”

The employee perspective

Ross Williams is the tenant engagement lead for Merthyr Valleys Homes.

The 42-year-old, who is married with 2 children, says the four day working week has hugely improved his work-life balance.

“I feel working 80% of the hours has increased my output. And I realise that a huge reason for this is because of what I choose to do with the other 20%,” he said.

During his non-working day on a Thursday, Mr Williams says he will fit in some early morning exercise or catch up with friends before picking up his 3-year-old son from nursery at 11am. He will also collect his daughter from school.

“In short, I’ve been a dad,” he said. “I’ve been guilty in the past of prioritising work over family and I’m determined to ensure this time remains a space where I get to enjoy some of the simple pleasures.”

During work hours, Mr Williams says the four day working week pilot has also provided some real work benefits and encouraged practical changes within the business.

In meetings, he says discussions are pertinent and decisions are reached “as quickly as possible saving time for myself and colleagues”.

He said: “I feel so much more productive knowing that my work is planned, my non-working day is factored in and my diary ensures my team can access me to ensure they are able to retain the same level of productivity,” he said.

“I think I am more productive, more focused and more content in my role. I have become much more well prepared for the time off that the four day week gives me.”

You couldn’t pay me enough to go back to five days

Marketing Signals

Altrincham

Marketing Signals, moved to a four-day working week in May with staff working 32-hours with no loss of pay.

When Managing Director Gareth Hoyle explained the reasons behind his decision on Linkedin, his post went viral and he was inundated with questions from other business bosses keen to do the same.

Mr Hoyle said he is excited to be part of a new model of work.

"It focuses on quality not quantity and will revolutionise the future of work. A good work/life balance is the key to a happy and healthy workforce which leads to loyalty, ultimately helping our business grow.

“My motto has always been ‘don’t live to work and don’t work to live’, and if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that it’s important we look after ourselves first. It’s important that my staff feel valued and understand life outside of work is just as important."

What do staff say?

Web developer and dad to a newborn Jack Darracott says that a shift to a four-day working week has transformed his life and made him more productive at work.

He works smarter, not harder, and the extra day off allows him to spend more time with his newborn son.

He said: “Since moving to the four-day working week, I’ve been able to spend more quality time with my son, and experience all of the first milestones that I would have missed out on had I been working a full week.”

The catalyst for the move to a four-day week came from the rise in cost of living, which led to Jack asking for a change in working hours due to rising childcare costs.

Jack explains: “The new model has also helped save money as I now don’t have to spend more of my wages on additional childcare fees. This is especially important with the rise in the cost of living. The extra day off also offers breathing room for any curve balls that life may throw at me.”

The four-day trial was met with some scepticism as many people questioned whether it would actually work. However, Jack says it has improved his productivity and efficiency, and that he even feels more energised when he’s back in.

Jack said: adds: “Not only has it helped with my home life, but my work has also improved. My day off serves as a ‘reset day’, so when I’m back in I can look at work with a fresh pair of eyes and I feel more refreshed.”

“You couldn’t pay me enough to go back to five days.”

There have been a number of lessons along the way

Tyler Grange

London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Exeter and Cirencester

The landscape planning, ecology and arboriculture consultancy became the first in its industry to sign up to the UK pilot in June. Its 80-strong nationwide team does not work Fridays with no loss of income.

The firm is reporting promising results producing the same amount of work so far during the pilot - from June to August – as it did in the same period last year. This is a measurement ratio of productive time versus direct costs, which means the company is, as planned, 100% productive in 80% of the time.

At the pilot’s halfway point, Simon Ursell, Managing Director at Tyler Grange, shares his seven key pieces of advice on how to make the transition from five to four as seamless – and successful - as possible.

Preparation is vital

I can’t stress enough how important it is to prepare for the switch from five working days to four. To enjoy a better work-life balance and to have more time to spend doing what we love. This just can’t be switched on overnight.

Talk to your clients and customers

The most common concern, of course, was ‘what if we need you on a Friday?’ but the vast majority congratulated us for showing such innovation, yet again, and are keen to be kept up to date on how it’s going.

Talk to your team and be ready to realise that a four-day working week isn’t for everyone

It’s essential to engage with your team but it’s also important to realise that working a four-day week isn’t for everyone.

Once the pilot began, and we became more accustomed to our new systems and way of working – which removed lots of lengthy admin and unnecessary meetings and reporting from our day - they soon got their heads around it.

Take different job roles and departments into consideration

Some of our work is very seasonal so, for those teams that are very busy during summertime, we’ve delayed the implementation of some new processes until the autumn.

You need to give people time to learn how to work differently – and it may not be the same for everyone.

If you’re looking to sell your business, a four-day week might not be for you

We used to receive a number of approaches by companies looking to buy us. But interesting, since trialling the four-day week, they’ve stopped.

So, for any potential owners who are sceptical that cutting hours could increase productivity, working a four-day week probably feels like too great a gamble to get locked into.

Bite the bullet and only have one company-wide day off

In some companies, the potential impact of the four-day week is being mitigated by covering all days but with reduced colleagues. We wouldn’t recommend this, despite it perhaps seeming to be an easier option at first.

It can sometimes be more intense and tiring

Most jobs are intense from time to time, and we know that working four days rather than five can exacerbate this on occasions. The adoption of our Alertness App – means we can get a real handle on any tiredness early and can react straight away.

Mr Ursell said: “I’d be surprised if we don’t adopt a permanent four-day working week post-pilot, but we still have three months to go.

“The UK has an unhealthy culture where it is seen as a badge of honour to be work all the time, the brilliant talent that we want to attract at all levels of the organisation - don’t want to be defined by a burnout life."

The worker's point of view

Helen Brittain, 54, is an administrator at Tyler Grange.

She lives with her husband, her son and daughter-in-law, and her two grandchildren - Henrietta, 5, and Florence, 7, - as well as their two dogs.

Helen said her productivity has improved enormously and the new working processes and systems encourage me help her to plan better.

She said: “In the past, work -life balance was always a bit of an issue for me. I felt like a two-day weekend didn’t enable me to enjoy enough of a homelife or to do necessary chores.

Now she is able to get on with chores and care for her grandchildren and find some time for herself.

She said: “I’ve also recently embarked on my own self-learning journey around mental health, as well as looking after my psychical health by working with a personal trainer and nutritionist.

“All of this is having enormous benefits on my personal health and wellbeing, which then has a real impact on my workplace performance and productivity.”

We're more productive and creative than ever before

Accu

Huddersfield

A Huddersfield-based tech-based firm that introduced a permanent four-day week to all 100 staff four months ago say the move has paid massive dividends.

Accu, which designs, manufactures and distributes engineering components worldwide, says it has seen a major boost in productivity, job applications, turnover, and orders from customers.

The firm's policy with no reduction in pay or obligation for staff to make the hours up.

From April-July, Accu has created 20 new jobs – a 25% increase in headcount. The number of applications per role has skyrocketed. One role, which previously got 40 applications, subsequently got 200 – a 400% increase. Similar numbers are being experienced across all vacancies.

Simultaneously, productivity is up, as the time it takes to respond to customer enquiries has improved by 46%. Order numbers and average values have increased by 15%, boosting turnover by 10% (quarter-on-quarter), meaning Accu is on track to hit £12m-plus turnover this year.

Company co-founder, Martin Ackroyd told YorkshireLive: "Giving people more personal time to enjoy the things they love has increased motivation, decreased the risk of burnout and has driven a renewed sense of purpose in our mission to help our customers build a better tomorrow. As a result, we're more productive and creative than ever before."

What do staff say?

Some staff have used their new spare time to pursue personal interests, such as home renovation and the arts, whilst others have used it to spend more time with their family or save on childcare costs.

Matt Ogden, community manager, said: "The longer weekends are very well received. With a longer break, it personally provides me with freedom to travel to London to enjoy and take part in the performing arts. In general, everyone feels more chilled, upbeat, happy, and refreshed.

"In terms of the business, we have seen a benefit across all areas – it was definitely a sound business decision."

Every Friday I enjoy not setting an alarm

Chilwell Products

Ilkeston, Derbyshire

Staff at the manufacturer of end bands for scaffold boards previously worked 39 hours over five days but this was reduced earlier this year by five hours, with all staff on duty Monday to Thursday.

Laura Clarke, managing director, said investment in new machinery improved overall capacity while giving back time to the team."

She said: "Initially, there were concerns around how our move would be received by customers but, when we ran our trial period, we managed to maintain lead times despite operating for five hours fewer.

"Many customers and suppliers have praised our move, even going as far to ask if they can have a job here.

She said the atmosphere at work had improved and there was something 'incredibly smug' about knowing you were halfway through the week on a Tuesday while team members had more autonomy over their lives and how they spent their free time, with some taking extra work elsewhere.

The hard numbers for the firm's manufacturing volumes and the first two financial quarters are positive despite the drop in hours.

She said: "I would advise others thinking of doing this to brainstorm, speak to various people within teams, gather information and look at the business from as many different angles as possible.

"It might not be something you can do in the next few months or even this year but you could start to make changes.

"Businesses need to think outside the box, we need to be innovative as we shape the working landscape moving forward."

How's work been?

Nicholas Wall is a 28-year-old toolroom assistant and press operator at Chilwell Products.

"It's nice to finish the working week on Thursday knowing you'll come in on Monday to a fresh slate.

"This also makes me feel like I'm giving something back to the company as I appreciate they've given us more time to spend however I want."

Nicholas said that, in previous roles with other employers, he felt he was rushing his evenings and weekends but had grown accustomed to it and had not noticed the effect this was having on him.

He added: "Only now that I'm more relaxed do I realise how frantic and pressured my personal life was.

"Every Friday I enjoy not setting an alarm, naturally waking up then heading to the gym to get a workout in and get it out the way."

It's not an easy process, but one we're proud we took the time to implement

City to Sea

Bristol

Bristol-based environmental organisation City to Sea has moved to a four-day working week without any reduction in pay for staff.

The community interest company employs 19 people, who are all now working a 32-hour week, but are being paid the same salary as when they worked for five days. The organisation, which campaigns to reduce plastic pollution, confirmed the move after running a four-day week trial over six months, and receiving positive feedback from staff. Now, every employee has Friday off.

Natalie Fee, chief executive and founder, said the top three challenges of implementing the four-day week were staff members feeling overstretched, managing work patterns and difficulties adjusting to reduced hours.

“We also found calculations around bank holidays and implications of those weeks being three days difficult to navigate,” she said.

However, she said the positives were staff motivation and increased wellbeing.

“It creates a much more balanced, healthier working environment and has resulted in increased staff engagement and staff retention. It's not an easy process, but one we're proud we took the time to test and implement.”

On the frontline

Steve Hynd, policy manager at City to Sea, who is 36 and is married with two children under five, says the move has been “completely transformative”.

“It’s not just the four days a week but also offering flexible working, having a really supportive line manager, and a host of other positive HR policies. This all combined is allowing me to spend more time with my two young kids, giving back to my community as a local district councillor and crucially (and very rarely) even having a bit of time for myself. It has removed the sense of being constantly over-stretched and has improved my mental and physical health significantly.”

Read more of our coverage on the four-day week:

What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

What did surveys conducted in London before and after the experiment of 4-day workweek  find?

54% of employees had better balance of work and home responsibilities

What has a Gallup Poll found out about the prospect of 4-day workweek?

77% of American employees believe that it will have a positive impact on their health

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Increase in employee and customer satisfaction.

What were the results of UAE's trial of 4-day workday?

A 90% increase in job performance, happiness, and mental health.

Employees report substantial improvements in mental health, reduced stress and burnout, enhanced work-life balance, and higher job satisfaction.

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World ’ s largest 3-day weekend trial results significantly improve employee physical and mental health
Surveys show that taking 3 days off can significantly improve employee health, and it is also good for the company, including reduced turnover and absenteeism. Many companies participating in the trial said that they will take 3 days off on a daily basis.
The diagram has nothing to do with this news.
(Euronews)
2023 / 02 / 21 11: 24
The United Kingdom launched the world ’ s largest 3-day weekend trial last year, after six months of experimental results, the survey shows that 3-day weekend can significantly improve employee health and benefits the company, including reduced turnover and absenteeism, many companies participating in the trial said that the 3-day weekend will be normalized.
UK non-profit organisation 4 Day Week Global and think tank Autonomy have teamed up with researchers from Cambridge, Oxford and Boston universities to collaborate with 61 companies in different fields, with 2,900 employees starting in June 2022 on the world ’ s largest six-month trial of unpaid weekly rest.
“Even if we ’ re academically sceptical, it ’ s a very positive result, ” says Brendan Burchell, a professor of social sciences at Cambridge University who studies the impact of work on mental health.
About 40% of employees said they experienced less stress at work, 71% reported less burnout at work after three days off, and more than 40% reported improved mental health, including reduced anxiety and negative emotions. Nearly 40% also said their physical health improved during the trial period, possibly because they had more time for hobbies, exercise, cooking, family time and other activities. For leisure activities, 40% of employees reported falling asleep better after three days off.
Before the trial, Bircher said, they had worried that working four days a week might be more intense, which would offset the benefits of taking three days off. The survey found that this was not the case. “People found ways to improve their productivity and reduce a lot of time wasted. ”
In the end, 96% of employees said they preferred the three-day break to work, employees said that unless a large pay rise, they can resume the original two-day break, and 15% of employees have been unable to return to the two-day break, emphasizing that no more money will not return to the two-day life.
For companies, the results are also very positive, participating in the trial in the half year average revenue growth of 1%, staff turnover and absenteeism rate decreased, almost all participating companies said they will continue to test the week off 3 days, more companies said to normalize it.
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What did  the trial of 4-day workwee in New Zealand show?

What did a survey on 4-day workweek conducted in Hong Kong show?

61% of respondents said employers could implement a four-day workweek to improve employees' mental health.

What did surveys conducted in London before and after the experiment of 4-day workweek  find?

54% of employees had better balance of work and home responsibilities

What has a Gallup Poll found out about the prospect of 4-day workweek?

77% of American employees believe that it will have a positive impact on their health

What has the implementation 4-day wrokweek in Dubai, UAE indicated?

Increase in employee and customer satisfaction.

Flexible schedules including 4-day weeks play a critical role in talent attraction and retention, as seen in the UK, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Title:

Content: Survey _ More than 60% of employees interviewed pointed out that the implementation of a four-day work week can improve mental health
Author: Zhang Wei-lun
Published: Updated:
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, many corporate employees have sought to achieve a better work-life balance, expect a better quality of life, and reduce the stress caused by work.
A study of 1,083 full-time and part-time employees in Hong Kong last month found that 71% of office workers pointed to work as the main source of stress affecting mental health, 22% of respondents pointed to the negative impact of remote work on mental health, and only 19% pointed to the positive impact of remote work.
How to improve the mental health of employees. 61% of the respondents said that employers can implement a four-day work week, 40% pointed to the flexibility of working hours. 34% and 32% respectively pointed to the participation of companies in mental health days or weeks. Another 21% pointed to the availability of mental health resources such as counselling services.
The study outlines the views of Hong Kong office workers on flexible working environments.
Nearly half of respondents (48%) believe that flexibility means being able to choose the hours they want to work.
The remaining respondents defined it as the ability to choose the day of work (17%) or the freedom to work anywhere (17%). 1 in 10 respondents said flexibility should be measured by performance, not hours worked (11%).
The majority of respondents indicated that they can choose the number of hours or days they work (58%) as the top priority.
In addition, it is important to take flexible leave as needed (54%), to be able to allocate the number of hours needed to do the work (42%), to work anywhere (41%), and to be able to go out and deal with emergencies while working (27%).
85% of employees support performance measurement based on work results
More flexible arrangements, a four-day working week and more paid holidays are also key factors in attracting and retaining talent.
As companies move towards hybrid and even more flexible work models, this has sparked a discussion of measuring employee performance in the new workplace: more employers tend to focus on employee outcomes rather than hours worked.
A majority of respondents (85%) support measuring performance based on work outcomes rather than hours, and believe that this improves efficiency, focus, and recognition.
Nearly half (49%) of respondents said they expect their office hours to gradually decrease in this mode.
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Environmental benefits arise from decreased commuting and energy usage.

Title:

Content: ourEconomy: Analysis

Is it time to ration energy?

Newsflash: we already do. The question is, how can we do it in a way that works for everybody?

Laura Basu
25 June 2022, 12.00am

Dark mutterings can be heard about the prospect of energy rationing looming ahead. Germany has already triggered its protocol for rationing gas in case economic warfare with Russia gets even worse. The UK government is doing its best to reassure the public that it does not plan to ration energy. But in case you haven’t noticed, we already do.

In the fifth richest country in the world, people are having to spend all day on the bus to stay warm because they can’t afford to heat their homes. Some 40% of Britons could fall into fuel poverty when the energy price cap rises in the autumn. Beyond British borders, 13% of the global population – mostly in Africa and South Asia – has no access to electricity at all. Meanwhile, the ultra-rich swan around on private jets and fly to the moon.

That’s rationing by price. If you can afford it, you can spaff away as much energy as you like, regardless of the harm it does to the Earth. If you can’t, forget about keeping warm or feeding your family. It may be the silliest form of rationing conceivable: we are failing to meet the basic needs of billions of people while still managing to burn down our planet. Talk about a lose-lose scenario.

Rationing of some form happens when an item is scarce. Even where there is no real scarcity, capitalism creates it out of thin air. Because if there’s no scarcity, there are no profits. Just look at the paywalls erected by big media companies for digital films, TV shows and music that cost zero to reproduce. Even the current food crisis isn’t actually about food scarcity: like the energy crisis, the food crisis is a crisis of affordability.

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But many natural resources ultimately are scarce, including energy. Fossil fuels will run out at some point. More importantly, we know we need to leave fossil fuels in the ground if we are to put the brakes on the climate catastrophe.

Of course, switching to renewable energy is a no-brainer, and needs to be done, like, yesterday. But even if we switched entirely to renewables tomorrow, that wouldn’t mean that energy supply is infinite. The rare earth elements needed to make solar panels and batteries are finite. Their extraction also tends to be associated with violence committed towards workers, communities and the environment. So if we care about those things, we need to place limits on extraction.

It makes zero sense that people are going cold while vast quantities of energy are being spaffed into the atmosphere

Drastically reducing energy waste is another obvious and painless solution that would reduce scarcity. There are mounting calls for government-supported home insulation schemes. A study from 2011 found that, just by redesigning passive systems in households, factories and transport, energy demand in those sectors could be reduced by 73%. It makes zero sense that people are having to go cold or hungry when such vast quantities of energy are being dumped into the atmosphere, for the benefit of no one.

We can all agree that our societies need to switch to renewables and be much more energy-efficient. But even then, it may be that we still need some form of rationing. The fact is, if we want a healthy planet, we need to live within the boundaries of what our planet can allow. And we need some way to make sure that we are doing that, beyond being as efficient as possible, shutting our eyes and praying that that is enough.

Enough already

Instead of focusing only on eco-efficiency, many environmental organisations propose the approach of ‘eco-sufficiency’. Eco-efficiency is about reducing the amount of carbon emissions or natural resources needed to produce a given thing. Sufficiency, on the other hand, is about using caps and rationing energy and resources to make sure that planetary boundaries are not overstepped. Eco-efficiency and sufficiency need not be mutually exclusive. Efficiency can help optimise wellbeing within the limits set by sufficiency.

According to these environmentalists, caps and rationing would be a fairer and more effective way of allocating energy than carbon taxes, which are popular green measures among those who wear suits to Zoom meetings. Carbon taxes are basically another form of rationing by price. And indeed, public opinion has been found to favour carbon quotas over carbon taxes.

Bringing in caps and rationing would require biophysical knowledge about where those planetary boundaries lie, plus political decisions about how fast to use up a resource and how to allocate it. Resource budgets could be brought in at both macro and microeconomic levels, for example at the level of both the state and the individual.

Where do those boundaries lie when it comes to energy? The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology proposes ‘the 2,000 watt society’, which implies a worldwide energy use per capita of 1,500 kgoe (kg of oil equivalent). It calculates that this would keep global warming below 2°C (which would still have disastrous consequences, just saying). The Global Commons Institute proposes a lower limit of 1,255 kgoe per person per year. That corresponds to a reduction of 35% compared to the world average of 1,921 kgoe.

That world average, though, masks massive inequalities. In 2015, the average North American used 6,887 kgoe per year, while the average European used 3,278 kgoe. The 2014 figures for Nicaraguans, Angolans and Bangladeshis were respectively, 596 kgoe, 545 kgoe and 229 kgoe. In reality, the gaps are even more stark, as these figures attribute the energy used to make exported products to the exporting rather than the importing country (which are often rich countries).

Inequalities within countries are also huge. The richest 1% of Americans, Luxemburgers, Singaporeans and Saudi Arabians emit 2,000 times more carbon than the lowest income groups of Honduras, Mozambique, Rwanda and Malawi.

Being told to half your energy use may enrage you. That’s because you live in the unfair world of rationing by price

So we don’t know precisely what the cap on energy use needs to be to stay within planetary boundaries, but taking the Global Commons Institute’s proposal, the average Bangladeshi could increase their energy use by five times and stay within healthy limits. The average European would have to cut their usage by more than half.

But what kind of life would we be leading if we were to stick to these limits? Could everyone in the world lead a good life using this level of energy, especially since the population is growing? If you are one of the many Europeans having to choose between heating and eating, being told that you should cut your energy use by half may understandably drive you into a fit of rage. But that’s because you currently live in the world of rationing by price.

A study from 2020 found that it is in fact possible to provide a decent standard of living to everyone in the world, while living within a healthy planetary boundary for energy use. The researchers attempted to calculate how much energy would be needed to provide a decent living standard to a population of ten billion, which we are predicted to reach by 2050.

They started with the premise that human needs are universal and finite, although they can be met in many different ways. This may seem like common sense to mere Earthlings like you and me but it flies in the face of mainstream economic thinking, which assumes that more is always better.

The scientists reasoned that for people to be able to flourish, they need: physical health and safety; clean air and water; adequate nutrition; social and political participation; a level of autonomy cultivated through education and learning; and time and space for creativity and play. To achieve this kind of wellbeing, we need material goods and services such as food, housing, heating and cooling, transport, phones, hospitals and schools.

Combining eco-efficiency and sufficiency approaches, the scientists conducting the study calculated that we could give these goods and services to a population of ten billion with just 40% of the total energy currently used, or between 310 and 440 kgoe per person per year. That’s three times less than the Global Commons Institute’s already ambitious proposal. In countries that are today’s highest per-capita consumers, this standard of living could be offered to all with energy cuts of 95%. This may evoke images of us living in caves, but these are the energy levels of the 1960s. Let’s face it, the swinging 60s were ‘cool’ (see what I did there with the climate gag?...).

What kind of limits on people do the scientists propose to achieve these cuts in energy demand? The model assumes that each person has a 10-metre squared living space plus communal space of 20 metres squared in a household of four people. Everyone gets to have a smartphone and there is one computer per household. People can travel around 10,000 kilometres per year, including just over 1,000 kilometres in plane travel – equating to one short to medium-haul flight every three years. Everyone gets 4kg of new clothing a year. A predominantly plant-based diet is assumed, with some meat.

The model includes healthcare for everyone, education for all five- to 19-year-olds, and a high-quality global communications network. Country-based adjustments are made, taking into account, for example, more heating or cooling requirements depending on climate.

Reading this, you might find this scenario very restrictive of your freedom, with limits placed on living space, the amount of meat you can eat and plane travel. But remember, the needs of ten billion people are being met in this model, while keeping within planetary boundaries. Even in the richest countries, millions of people are not reaching this standard of living under the current system of rationing by price, never mind the half of humanity who in 2020 were living on less than $7.40 a day. And, as a bonus, in this sufficiency scenario, we aren’t all going to suffer and die in the near future because our planet is burning down. Win-win, I’d say.

Breaking free

The absolutely crucial point about sufficiency, however, is that it’s carried out in the context of radical equality. In the scenario described above, everyone has access to the same basic goods and services, bar some small changes based on things such as variations in climate. It’s not a life of ‘eco-austerity’ for the many and one long Boris Johnson-style rave-up for the few.

Radical equality implies radical democracy. You are not going to achieve a fair allocation of the means of life if your politics consists of elites running the show, while everyone else turns up to a voting station like chumps every five years and goes through the motions of ballot casting. Communities need to actually make decisions about what they prioritise, how to produce what they need and how to allocate resources.

For Murray Bookchin, the founder of social ecology, this was the essence of freedom. In Bookchin’s view, freedom wasn’t about doing whatever the heck we want and letting others clean up the mess. Real freedom was the freedom to collectively determine how to satisfy our needs in a precious and finite world.

In a situation of radical equality and democracy, provisioning of the means of life needn’t be as rigid as the scenario in the study suggests. If your community wants to configure housing differently or eat a different diet, fine, as long as it is living in harmony with the rest of nature. If your household wants to switch out a couple of phones for an extra laptop, go ahead.

Who knows, in this magical realm, maybe we wouldn’t even care about phones or laptops because we’d be too busy dancing with dolphins. Jokes, but the point is that this is about imagining a different society here, where perhaps we wouldn’t feel the need to check Instagram 17,000 times a day or glue ourselves to computer screens for work.

This way, ‘equality’ doesn’t have to equate to ‘the same’. It means that all of us, with our different bodies, abilities and priorities, are getting what we need. Bookchin calls this the ‘equality of inequality’ – as opposed to the ‘inequality of equality’, whereby we are all given exactly the same by some top-down power regardless of our differences. Neither of these is to be confused with the ‘inequality of inequality’, which is the situation of rationing by price that we have now.

Trials for universal basic income and four-day weeks are proving to be overwhelming successes

Principles and policies for what a democratic and sustainable economy would look like are well established by this point. They include centring care work and the provision of essential goods and services, while phasing out destructive industries such as fossil fuels, the military and advertising; minimum and maximum incomes, universal basic incomes and services, and reduced working hours (whoop); taking ownership of key sectors such as housing, energy and food out of the hands of corporations and into the hands of communities; and ending neo-colonial global governance structures and paying reparations to colonised people.

These are sweeping changes but if you take a minute, you can see steps being taken towards them everywhere you look, sometimes in partnership with governments and sometimes under mortal threat from them.

The principle of the commons – the collective stewarding of the means of life by communities – has been sustaining humans for thousands of years, and natural commons still support two billion people worldwide. Solidarity economy projects exist across the globe, from free shops to donation-based kitchens.

Communities are practising radical democracy, from South Asia to Latin America. Trials for universal basic incomes and four-day weeks are proving to be overwhelming successes. Struggles for global justice are blazing on. Where democratic and municipal ownership of key resources is in place, it improves life for millions.

The quicker we realise that this is what is needed to be able to live well and avoid climate apocalypse, rather than paying 10p for plastic bags and feeling guilty for eating an avocado, the quicker we can move beyond rationing by price towards true freedom.

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Furthermore, companies note cost savings and enhanced recruitment outcomes.

For instance, in Australia, nearly 70% of workers believe a 4-day week can be implemented within five years, forecasting reduced absenteeism and enhanced retention.

Title:

Content: Is there any basis for subjective intent?
Nearly 70% believe ‘ working four days a week ’ will happen in Australia
The latest survey shows that nearly two-thirds of Australians surveyed believe that the five-day week pattern may soon end as calls for four-day work become normal.
The latest survey shows that nearly two-thirds of Australians surveyed believe that the five-day week pattern may soon end as calls for four-day work become normal.
Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Nearly half of the 42,000 workers surveyed in a recent poll by recruitment firm Hays believe that a four-day work week model will be achieved within five years, with another 16% saying it will be achieved within 12 months.
Another fifth said they thought it would take another decade to achieve, while the remaining fifth said working four days a week would never happen.
Nick Deligiannis, Managing Director of Hays Australia and New Zealand, told The Associated Press:
“The workers ’ subjective aspirations and positive emotions have become apparent … It ’ s clear from the workers ’ point of view that it ’ s their expectation to work four days a week. ”
Many employers are still hesitant to switch to a four-day week, he said, because they face a potential decline in productivity.
“They will think: One of the key factors is that they can still operate effectively after four days of work. ”
Can you still maintain high productivity? ”
Research has shown that three-day weekends are more like a small holiday to improve workers ’ health, while unions say Australians are working longer hours and finding it increasingly difficult to balance their work and personal lives.
Deligiannis said the move to four days a week could even improve employee attrition rates and affect the attractiveness of hiring.
A four-day week would also help alleviate the increased work pressure some employees are currently under due to skills and labour shortages during the pandemic.
Sally McManus, general secretary of the Australian General Workers Union (ACTU), said work-life balance was widely discussed but rarely achieved.
"Australians have the longest working hours in developed countries and it is definitely time for us to reduce our working hours and spend more time with important people," Mr McManus told the ANZ.
Working four days a week is a model that should be considered in Australia.
General Secretary of the National Workers Union (ACTU), Mike Manus.
A 13-month study by the University of South Australia also looked at the benefits of reducing working hours and found that with the right time off, employees were more likely to be more active, sociable and sleep more.
Research has also shown that labor gains increase with the length of the holiday, but positive results can be seen even on three-day weekends.
The senior researcher in charge of the research project, Mach, said:
Research provides empirical evidence that people have a healthier lifestyle during short breaks, such as a three-day weekend.
Senior Researcher Mach
Earlier this month, a parliamentary committee also called for a four-day working week to be piloted with government support to see how the arrangement could actually improve people's lives.
The trial will be based on the 100: 80: 100 model, whereby workers retain full wages and maintain the same productivity, performing 80% (four days) of work.
Many Australian companies have already made the switch, including Unilever, Bright Agency and FinTech Indebted.
After four days in New Zealand, Unilever decided to expand their trial to Australia.
The absenteeism rate of employees under the new arrangement has fallen by a third and income has increased in 18 months.
Nicky Sparshott, the company ’ s chief executive for Australia and New Zealand, said working four days a week could be a tool to give the company a competitive edge.
“It ’ s the result of trying new ways to remove possible constraints, create value, and slow down barriers. ”
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SBS is committed to providing fair, impartial and accurate news coverage and current affairs in both traditional and simplified Chinese. Both SBS Cantonese and SBS Putonghua have been serving the public for more than 40 years.
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Published 15 April 2023 1: 52pm
By Ivan Leung
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Sector-specific adaptation shows tech

Title:

Content: People 's Daily Online > > Economy and Technology
State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission: Promoting State-owned Capital to the Real Economy and Strategic Emerging Industries with a Basis for Development
July 27, 2023 10: 45 | Source: People's Daily Online
Small number
In the second half of this year, it is necessary to focus on the restructuring of the state-owned economy, focus on the main industry, adhere to professional development, and promote the concentration of state-owned capital in important industries related to national security and the lifeline of the national economy, and focus on public services, emergency capacity building and public welfare. It is necessary to give full play to the role of scientific and technological innovation, industrial control and security support in the construction of a modern industrial system and the construction of a new development pattern. Promote state-owned enterprises to truly become the heavy weapon of the times and the cornerstone of the strong country.
The meeting said that it is necessary to focus on deepening and upgrading the reform of state-owned enterprises, firmly grasp the correct direction of reform, solidly promote key tasks of reform, vigorously optimize the layout of the state-owned economy, and enhance the core functions of enterprises.
"We should give priority to improving quality, increasing efficiency and steady growth, persist in accounting for small, solid and large accounts, and guide state-owned enterprises to strengthen pre-study and forecast, optimize and adjust their business strategies and product structure in a timely manner, promote cost reduction and management efficiency, and expand investment in infrastructure and industrial projects that are conducive to local economic and social development," he said.
The meeting said that it is necessary to focus on improving scientific and technological innovation capabilities, guide enterprises to continue to increase scientific and technological investment, improve the scientific and technological innovation system and mechanism, strengthen core technology research and the transformation and application of results, and help high-level scientific and technological self-reliance.
It is necessary to adhere to the party's leadership to strengthen party building, give prominence to the party's political construction, and promote the deep integration of party building and production and management in enterprises. Effectively create a clean and honest business environment for officers.
(Editor: Lu Jing, Lu Qian)
Public Number ： People 's Network Finance
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and IT firms more readily adopt the model due to their work nature, while customer-facing sectors and healthcare face greater challenges .

Title:

Content: New normal | Will 2024 be the year of the four-day week boom? Probably not…

At one point in time, flexible working was a prime example of the benefits that truly had the power to lure and retain talent.

Those days are now behind us.

This isn’t because the prospect of working from home, or altering office hours around childcare or medical appointments isn’t still alluring. In fact, far from it. It’s because in the interim, the world experienced a massive shift. One that not only forced many businesses to adopt remote working policies or face the prospect of inactivity, but also changed the perceptions of workers about their careers, and the value of wellbeing in their working lives.

In a post-pandemic world, the concept of flexible working is largely considered a given. This is acutely true among companies that understand the persistent challenges in the talent market. So, where do we go from here? Where are those looking to push the boundaries of their benefits offering to turn? The answer is the four-day week.

You’ve likely heard the words ‘four-day week’ uttered at conferences, or read it plastered all over LinkedIn. In short, whilst there’s some variation in implementation, for most adopting a four-day week involves quite literally ditching one full working day. Employees work their normal hours, minus one fifth, and get paid the same amount for their effort.

The concept may sound ludicrous to some, yet the value of the idea goes far beyond simply being a valued benefit. Data from the largest trial ever to have taken place in the UK, as reported by Buffer, found that productivity among workers increased by 22%, job applications went up 88%, absenteeism went down by 66%. Employees are also reportedly less tired and happier.

So, we have an exciting new concept with stellar outcomes when trialled and the vast majority of businesses are yet to adopt it. Inevitably, this will be the next big thing in 2024, right? In reality, this is doubtful. Here’s why.

Whilst flexible working has been adopted en masse, let’s not forget the impetus that caused this boom – the pandemic. According to data from IPSE, the proportion of workers reporting they work exclusively at home rose from 5.7 per cent in January 2020 to 43.1 per cent in April 2020. Whilst flexible working was no new concept in early 2020, the pandemic served as the catalyst for huge change, convincing many traditionalists that ditching the nine-to-five and introducing remote working could actually work.

The pandemic was the biggest trial of such a concept in recent history. And herein lies the issue with the four-day week. Leaders need to be convinced. Yes, it’s likely that it will grow in 2024, but without a major shift in working culture to encourage those who dismiss it to give it a try, there’ll be no sudden boom. So no, 2024 will not be the ‘year of the four-day week’, but for early adopters, it could well be a vastly positive development.

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What did Labor economist Jonathan Boys say about 4-day workweek?

Food and beverage industry may face more problems.

Healthcare industry may face more problems.

However, barriers to implementation are significant.

Title:

Content: Manager of an Estonian company about a four-day work week: experience shows that it is doable
Over time, more innovative ways of working begin to penetrate the Estonian work culture.
Today, the most attention is paid to the shortened working week: for example, a four-day working week or a six-hour working day.
These approaches seem exciting to many, but the fear that they will negatively affect the organization of work, often becomes an obstacle in their implementation in practice.
Elisa manager Joosep Põllumäe noted that while the fear of innovative working methods is understandable, with the right organizational culture, proper pre-planning and strong support systems, confusion resulting from overtraining can be avoided in most cases.
For example, a four-week workweek has been successfully tested twice in Elisa ’ s technology department, which has more than 200 employees.
From now on, it will become a permanent summer mode for IT teams.
“If in recent decades everyone has known that there are forty hours a week to do work, and you can ask for help from colleagues every day from nine to five, then one day off can be a real shock, ” he said.
You just need to know which problem areas to focus on. ”
According to Põllumäe, in order for the introduction of new ways of working to go as smoothly as possible, it is first of all important to focus on establishing clear rules of the game, clear communication and the most accurate measurements.
Expectations should converge
Working four days a week, one weekday is free for the employee.
However, the details associated with this basic thesis may vary from company to company.
Therefore, according to Põllumäe, it is important that all parties involved in the organization of work understand these details equally.
For example, you should establish whether the day off is completely free, or it will be a day of study, a day of concentration or something else.
It is also important to determine who can be disturbed on the fifth day and on what issues, what changes will be made to the organization of work in the remaining four days, so that the work continues to be carried out.
“Employees need to clearly understand what is expected of them and what means are at their disposal to achieve their goals – whether they can cancel meetings, refuse additional tasks, work more from home.
Similarly, employers need to understand what employees expect.
For example, if a four-day work week includes one completely free day, you need to understand that employees do not want to be covered with working letters on this day, ” Põllumäe said.
Work must be measurable
Since expectations of attainable results do not decrease when working hours are shortened, one of the secrets to the success of the new organization of work is clear measurements and a concrete understanding of when the work is done.
According to Põllumäe, the more abstract someone ’ s role or the wider the range of tasks, the more likely it is that some important topics will go unnoticed, or people will always feel that they have to do more, and therefore will not dare to take a day off.
“Employees usually want to exceed expectations.
Try to do as much as possible in five working days.
However, if the employer suddenly allows an employee to take a day off in the case of work performed, then without clear measurements, it is difficult for some employees to understand whether they have completed their tasks or not, - he explained. - That is why very clear measurements are important - thing X should be developed within a month, analysis Y should be completed within a quarter, no "ticket" should "hang" longer than Z days. "
The better people understand their expectations, the better they can plan their work and deliver results in less time.
Communication is important
Since no team or branch of a company operates in a vacuum, clear communication and listening to feedback are also critical to implementing innovative work practices.
For example, departments ordering work from the development department should understand that one day a week from the development department should not wait for answers.
The sales team should know that marketing will not launch new ads on a certain day, and management should understand that one day a week should not expect quick reports from employees.
“If everyone knows how others work, they adjust their work accordingly.
Knowing that the data sphere teams are not working on Friday, the necessary data will be requested on Thursday, he explained. – It is also important to ask for constant feedback – if it begins to seem that the absence of someone from the team is causing real damage to the business, or customers begin to feel their absence, something needs to be adjusted, for example, to change the day when they are absent, or alternate absent employees to always provide some cover. ”
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What challenges will the companies with diverse workforce have for implementing 4-day workweek??

Complicated to roll out for large companies

Lack of resouces to support shift for sall comppanies

What did Labor economist Jonathan Boys say about 4-day workweek?

Food and beverage industry may face more problems.

Education industriy may face more problems.