4 Day Working Week

Have you ever heard screams at the last workplace? The rumors gathered about the water cooler - a 4-day work week could be reached in the near future. The TUC government urges people to work less while earning the same wage.

Now, you wonder how good the situation might be. Why do employers allow their employees to work only 4 days a week? Will the company suffer as a result? All right, thanks for your new robot. As we reviewed one of our other blog articles recently, technological developments have given employees a bit of work and customer support.

Artificial intelligence technology will greatly disrupt every aspect of every industry in every country. In the near future, we will see more and more flexible business plan enhancements, such as a 4-day work week. Indeed, the TUC believes that if a company is forced to share the benefits of new technology with its employees, a 4-day work week can become a reality this century.

Pros and Cons of a 4 Day Working Week

Some companies, such as the New Zealand Perpetual Guardian, have realized the benefits of employment for 4 days. The 4-day work week not only increases employee satisfaction and loyalty and teamwork, but also reduces stress levels. Better yet, reducing your work schedule to 4 days a week doesn't hurt their productivity or company product.

Join us as we take a closer look at some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with our 4-day work week.

What is a 4-day work week?

You may know someone who works for 1 hour and works for over 35 hours in 4 days. The four-day work week is reduced by business hours, not by compressed work plans. Therefore, workers work around 28 hours on four days and have three days off.

The 4-day work week may sound like a radical idea, but since the end of the 19th century, we have gradually reduced the number of hours worked during a typical work week. In 1890, the United States government estimated that full-time industrial factory workers worked an average of 100 hours a week. By the middle of the twentieth century, production workers were only 40 hours a week. Reducing our work week to 28 hours is not radical at all.

What are the benefits of a 4-day work week?

The 4-day work week is a relatively new concept, mainly due to the latest technological developments. However, some companies have duplicated this idea with promising results for employees and employers.

Increase production
An in-depth review of the relationships and productivity of Sanford University shows a clear connection between these two factors. Overworked workers are less productive than regular or regular workers.

The New Zealand-based Perpetual Guardian conducted a four-day trial. Employees not only maintain productivity levels, but also improve job satisfaction, teamwork, work-life balance, and company loyalty. Workers face lower pressures with 45% to 38% decrease.

The results of this study are not surprising given the fact that the most productive countries in the world, such as Norway, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, average 27 hours a week, which is the same hour offered in the United Kingdom for 4 days a week . Instead, Japan ranks 20th in 35 countries in terms of productivity, known to its employees.

Same work place

A survey of the gender pay gap conducted by the Government's Equality Agency shows that about two million British citizens are unemployed for the responsibility of raising children, and 89% of them are women. The 4-day work week will create an equal workforce where employees can spend more time with their families and learn better care and work responsibilities.

Better employee engagement

A 4-day week can lead to happier, more loyal employees. Workers suffer from less stress or sick leave as they have more time to rest and recover. As a result, they feel ready to take on new challenges.

From 2015 to 2017, Sweden conducted test trials in shorter business weeks. Nurses work in orphanages only 6 hours five days a week. The results were positive by reporting nurses writing fewer hours for patients, better health and psychology, and greater participation, contributing 85% of the work for caregivers.

The carbon footprint is smaller

Countries with shorter working hours typically have fewer carbon footprints, so reducing our work week from 5 to 4 days can be beneficial to the environment as well. Shortening our work week means that workers do not need much time off, and large office buildings are used only four days a week.

The civil servant test in Ahuta, USA, shows significant environmental impact by reducing the average work week from five to four days using a tight work schedule. The project saved $ 1.8 million ($ 36.36 million) in energy costs over the first ten months and reduced at least 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the closure of the main office building on Friday. With the addition of workers, Ahuta estimates it could save 12,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to removing 2,300 cars off the road for one year with less work each week this week!

Are there defects in the 4-day work week?

While there are many benefits to a 4-day work week, there are some drawbacks. A number of previous research studies, such as the participation of Swedish nurses, found that the project was ultimately cost-effective. Implementing a four-day business week can be difficult as support, technology and workplace culture are required. Of course, the new changes will face some challenges and shortcomings.

Customer satisfaction

Ahuta's training, which provides good results for the environment, as well as the benefits of workers and employers, is closed due to customer dissatisfaction. Customers complained that they could not access the public service whose office was closed on Friday.

Using technologies, such as automated chat software and websites that support artificial intelligence, can solve customer-related problems, as it will create another way for customers to rely on their office staff without relying on them.

Wrong approach

Many misunderstood the concept of a 4-day work week with compressed time. Workers are still expected to work for 35 hours, but will exhibit a 4-day productivity decline, which may affect their work, and a balance between work, life and happiness in general. A 4-day work week must consist of a regular 7-hour workday to achieve the desired effect.

Closing remarks: Should I receive a 4-day work week?
Although incomplete, the day may come when technology, especially artificial intelligence, is beyond the capabilities of human workers. Then we need to make important decisions about the future of employment and how to better protect and improve the well-being of human workers. A 4-day work week is a good choice because it will allow the technology business to continue as it did before, while people get meaningful jobs with a better work-life balance.

By calling it a 4-day work week, TUC strives to lay the groundwork for the transition and ensure that not only new employers, but workers benefit from this new technology as well. We can support something in Change Recruitment.