November 2019

A lot of employers are looking at the benefits of a 4 day work week for their employees. In the UK its even attracted the attention of The Labour Party, becoming part of their manifesto. The idea is that the employee works the same amount of hours, but over 4 days instead of 5 days. I like this idea. It seems to be a win-win. The employee gains, but so do employers. Here are the benefits of a 4 day work week for the employee: Increased happiness. A better work/life balance. More time with family and friends. More time to take up hobbies, interests or even volunteering. Better physical health – lower levels of stress, more and better quality sleep, improvement in concentration, memory and problem solving. Possible increased physical fitness due to more time for a better diet and exercise.

• Increased creativity.
• Reduced risk of ‘burn out.’
• A feeling of working to live, rather than living to work.
• Save money due to less travel and lunch expenses.
• Less time stuck in traffic on the commute to and from work. As employees will start earlier and finish later.

For Employers:

• Increased productivity. Employees spend less time on non-work activities and really put their heads down to make the most of the hours they are in work.
• Lower rates of sickness and a lessened length of sickness absence.
• Employees that are more engaged.
• Smarter ways of working developed.
• Better outcomes from work undertaken.
• More resilient individuals and teams that find it easier to deal with and adapt to change.
• Employees give better customer service.
• Improved communication and collaborative working.
• Automation of some manual processes leading to increased efficiency.
• Reduced estate costs – electricity only being used 4 days a week rather than 5 days.
• More loyalty from staff – They’ll think twice about moving on if it means they’ll have to go back to a five day work week.

What do you think about a four day work week? Leave a comment below.

Blog soon,

Antony

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