Working hours are generally proportional to the work output. The more you work, the higher the profits for the company. However, at the end of the day, the employees are humans and not robots.
Working for long hours without proper breaks will eventually decrease their productivity and hamper the company’s growth. As a result, companies contemplate whether they should reduce the number of workdays from five to four days per week.
Does lowering the operating hours ensure a better output? Yes, it does, but only if the employees give their best in the new work hours.
Numerous countries have already adopted this new work model and have witnessed an increment in the companies’ overall output. Even some leading companies like Microsoft Japan, Radioactive PR, Shake Shack etc. have adopted the four-day work model and benefited from it.
Is This Model Suitable Long-term?
According to research conducted on Perpetual Guardian, a company that had adopted the four days per week model, a net increment of 20% in the company’s overall productivity was witnessed.
Even Sweden had introduced a new model of 6-hour workday back in 2015. Employees who were earlier working 8 hours a day were made to work for 6 hours a day with the same wages. The results were shocking! The employees upon working 6 hours a day were found to be more productive and energetic. Hence, in the long-term, reduced working hours will prove fruitful for companies.
According to American statistics, an employee works 34.4 hours a week on average. Some of the world’s best-industrialized countries have already adopted this method and seen massive progress. The only disadvantage of this module is that there is a huge pressure on the employee to complete the entire week’s work within four days. However, it would be beneficial for both the employee and the company in the long-term.
How Can Employees Benefit from This Work Model?
With such a work model, employees can enjoy a long weekend and come back to work in a refreshed mood. They can also have an active social life and enjoy the weekends with their friends.
We all know that an extra day during the weekend would mean we get to have more fun, go out, get some drinks, hang out with some interesting ladies if we want to.
How Can Employers Adopt this System?
The four day work week model has numerous benefits. However, companies must consider the below mentioned points before adopting this system:
- Make Clear Expectations
Every employee in the company must be put to work. The companies cannot put any employees on the bench. This will ensure the equal division of work among employees and will result in fewer layoffs.
The managers need to ensure that every team member is giving their best during the working hours. The employers should inform the employees about the company’s expectations and rules regarding this new model well in advance.
If the expectations are clear, employees will work more efficiently. Companies must use some tracking programs to check every employee’s productivity.
- Avoid Social Media
Wasting time on social media is a big concern that needs to be addressed. It is estimated that employees spend more than two and a half hours per day browsing through their social media accounts.
Social media keeps distracting the employees, thus hindering their productivity. Companies must put strict limits to ensure that the employees do not use social media during working hours.
Some companies even block access to social media within their campus. However, companies should not take such extreme measures as many employees use social media to research something for their job.
Final Word
An increase in productivity is seen when the employees work four days a week. However, the employers must pre-plan the employee’s work, provide clear benchmarks and availability of resources, and track their performance regularly.
These are some of the factors on which the financial sustainability of the new
a four hours work-week model generally depends. We hope that the above mentioned points will help employers make an informed choice about implementing this system.