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To work fewer hours without a pay cut is to finally get the opportunity to properly rest. Why is this beneficial to all parties, especially now that many are still remote?
The need to stay in touch with colleagues virtually 24/7 creates a large cognitive load for the brain, which means that the need for additional rest increases. Alas, not all companies are ready to take this into account, because they are afraid of loss of income.
However, their fears are refuted by the experience of several successful Western companies. So, the management of the technology holding The Wanderlust Group decided to conduct an experiment: for three months, employees rested not only on Saturdays and Sundays, but also on Mondays.
And you know what? These turned out to be the most profitable months of the year – not to mention the fact that the level of life satisfaction among employees and their families increased unusually. All they had to “sacrifice” was to reduce the number of meetings, which only took time.
As a result of the experiment, the company decided to introduce a four-day work week on a permanent basis.
The advantages of such an approach are understood not only by individual organizations, but also by the heads of some states. So, last year, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern came up with a proposal to massively transfer employees to four days to promote domestic tourism, as well as to give people the opportunity to cope with burnout.
The Russian government came up with a similar initiative back in 2019. And although business owners are still wary of this idea, numerous studies show that such a practice is in the hands of both parties – both employees and employers. And that’s why.
1. Employees become more productive
Research shows that the majority of employees believe that multiple meetings only waste precious hours. The less time spent on work, the more efficiently this time is used – at a minimum, hour-long Zoom meetings can be replaced by concise and informative correspondence.
And this thesis is confirmed by quite specific figures. So, for example, a four-day work week was practiced in the Japanese office of Microsoft (by the way, even before the pandemic, in August 2019), and the level of sales in the division then grew by 40% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Another 2019 study found that two-thirds of UK companies that put their employees on a reduced workweek while keeping their wages saw an increase in their employees’ productivity.
The transition to a shorter work week also allows you to identify weaknesses: find out what information employees lack and what processes are organized inefficiently.
2. More candidates apply for a job with this type of employment
Recruitment website ZipRecruiter estimates that companies that offer a four-day work week are able to attract an average of 15% more candidates for interviews (data collected from 2018 to the present).
Moreover, 15% is only an average value over the past years: this year, 30% more applicants began to respond to such vacancies. In addition, 63% of employers in the UK say the reduced work week offer has helped them attract and retain talented employees.
3. The less we work, the better for the environment
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts came to this conclusion back in 2012:
“Countries in which people work less do less damage to the environment, leaving a smaller ecological footprint. Less greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere, and the need for energy is also reduced. According to preliminary estimates, reducing the working week by one day can lead to a reduction in the carbon footprint by 30%.”
The same example from Microsoft in Japan showed that shifting employees to a four-day workweek reduced office energy consumption by 23% and paper usage by 59%.
4. Employees have the opportunity to strike a balance between work and the rest of their lives.
The psychological benefits of this practice are also evident: according to an experiment conducted in New Zealand in 2018, 240 employees who were transferred to a four-day job while maintaining full pay noted that they began to experience less stress, were able to spend more time with their families, and their balance improved between work and life.
Today, when many of us are forced to work from home and stay in touch with colleagues from early morning until late at night, an extra day off can be a real salvation: on this day you can get out into nature, get enough sleep, communicate with your loved ones or take care of your health.
And this will certainly affect productivity and loyalty to the employer.