Monday–Thursday Are 4-Day Workweeks the Secret to Productivity?
Could you get more done with one less day in the week?
work-life balance. Considering the fact that burnout — and the sick days that come with it — are such a problem in the United States, providing employees with a better work-life balance may be the secret to a happier, more productive workplace. After the successful trial, Perpetual Guardian opted to stick with the four- day workweek permanently. They provide several tips for implementing a four-day workweek at your company. • Speak to your staff and be clear about your objectives and what you are trying to achieve. • Ensure policy is well-supported and resourced. • Create a policy that can flex depending on workloads, projects, or customer requirements. • Let your customers know what’s going on and assure them there will be no drop in service. • Ensure the new employment structure doesn’t cut across legal requirements. • Be clear that the aim of the initiative is to benefit the company as well as the employees. • Recognize that flexible working initiatives aren’t magic bullets. If you’re interested in learning more about Perpetual Guardian’s four- day work week, check out the white paper written by The University of Auckland researchers at 4DayWeek.co.nz/four-day-week-trial . • Do your own web and local research.
Of course not! Most of us need more time in the week, not less. At least, that’s the assumption. But a New Zealand company recently proved that when it comes to company productivity, less may mean more. In March of 2018, Perpetual Guardian, a finance management company in New Zealand, began testing a four-day workweek for its 240 employees. Researchers from the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology studied the firm before, during, and after the trial. Perpetual Guardian isn’t the first company to test-drive a four-day workweek, but during the trial period, they did something unusual: They didn’t reduce employees’ salaries.
Paying employees for five days of work while only requiring four days sounds like a surefire way to bankrupt a company, but researchers found the change had the opposite effect. By trimming the hours down and maintaining pay, Perpetual Guardian saw a 20 percent increase in productivity. The shorter workweek motivated employees to get their work done quicker by cutting down meeting times, becoming more self-motivated, and telling their colleagues when they were being distracting.
After the trial, employees at Perpetual Guardian also reported feeling 7 percent less stressed and a 24 percent improvement in
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