Should Your Company Have a 4-Day Work Week? 🗓
For conscious leaders, the future of work means offering flexible work schedules
Microsoft made headlines last year when it announced the success of testing a 4-day work week for its Japanese division. Japan is infamous for its particularly grueling work pace. So moving to a 4-day work week was a big change by most modern standard 40-hour work weeks.
What did Microsoft discover? Well, productivity rose 40% during the test phase. That’s an astonishing statistic for any industry. Especially since employees were technically working fewer hours. But this is not the first company to successfully implement a 4-day work week. There have been numerous cases of companies converting to either 5-hour work days for 5 days or 8-hour work days for 4 days. Either way, most companies have reported astounding results of increased employee satisfaction and productivity.
Last week the Prime Minister of New Zealand even suggested employers examine 4-day work weeks for their teams. She recognized the coronavirus pandemic has opened the conversation on the nature of work. While the world still grapples with how to balance work and ensuring the welfare of employees, a 4-day work week make sense. Just months ago this idea seemed like a distant “future of work” idea. But now that paradigms have shifted so dramatically, this type of idea is not only possible, but becoming reality.
So would a 4-day work week or similar flexible work schedule serve your organization?
Only you and your team can decide what’s right for your organization. But it’s certainly worth considering in light of concerning statistics about increasing burn-out and frustration over work-life imbalance. Some research indicates that over 70% of employees are disengaged at work.
One thing is certain: the way we work isn’t working. Forty-hour plus work weeks might have made sense during the industrial age, but now in the digital age, such long hours simply aren’t necessary. It’s important for companies and organizations to evolve, just as our understanding of mental health, community, and happiness is evolving.
Especially now that most industries have experienced remote work due to the coronavirus pandemic, companies are finding that providing more flexible work schedules isn’t having the negative impact on productivity they had long feared. So what other unfounded fears could be holding them back from offering more flexibility that benefits employees’ happiness and fulfillment?
As a conscious leader who wants to create a company and work environment that contributes back to society and helps employees lead fulfilling lives, it’s certainly worth exploring this idea with an open mind.
How can your organization be part of the effort to create a workplace that works for everyone? A 4-day work week is one option. Flexible work schedules, remote employment, and ensuring employees take paid vacation are other options. Providing benefits like professional or life coaching is another great option. And supporting employees in their true career goals (without fear of loss) is also a win for both employer and employee. A relationship of trust and support will create far more productivity and boost your brand reputation more than any other perk.
If your organization is interested in moving to a flexible work schedule that increases employee satisfaction while increasing productivity, it’s time to seriously explore this option. There is now ample evidence to support this entrée into the future of work.
Working with a coach is an excellent way to help you explore how to navigate this transition well for your team. Your organization will be on the cutting-edge of the workplace revolution that empowers all employees to live a healthy, happy, productive life.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
Are you ready to increase your conscious leadership? Want to talk about building your remote team? Send me a note and let’s talk about achieving your goals.
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