Tin tức
Is it possible to work 4 days/week?
2022-09-16
Table Of Contents
Employees are happier with “4 days/week”
Between 2015 and 2019, workplaces in Iceland conducted two large-scale trials of reducing working hours from 40 hours to 35-36 hours/week without a pay cut.
The analysis of the results was published in July 2021. Accordingly, the pilot programs, which involved 2,500 workers, were considered “outrageously successful”, with 86% of the country’s workforce working less or entitled to shorter working hours.
More importantly, the report found that employee productivity remained the same or improved in most workplaces. In addition, their health and work-life balance increased significantly, with fewer cases of stress and burnout, according to Independent.
Applying the trend 4 days/week
Employees more happy
In 2019, the Henley School of Business at the University of Reading surveyed more than 500 business leaders and more than 2,000 employees in the UK to better understand the impact of the 4-day workweek on the workforce.
Accordingly, two-thirds of businesses reported an improvement in worker productivity, while 78% reported happier employees, less stress (70%), fewer sick days (62%) ) and a 4-day work week to help them attract and retain workers (63%).
Nearly half (40%) of employees said they use the extra day off to develop professional skills, while a quarter (25%) spend time volunteering.
Additional time spent on activities that improve mental and physical health is also associated with increased productivity. Many people say they sleep better and spend more time with family and loved ones.
There is no transition without difficulty
However, the 4-day work week model still has potential risks for both employees and businesses if not applied in the right way and at the right time. Reducing hours but keeping wages the same is a perk, but the pressure to get the same amount of work done in a shorter amount of time can backfire. This can cause employee burnout and affect the operation of the business.
Allocating vacation days appropriately is also a headache for businesses when nine people have ten ideas, some people will want to rest on Monday, others on Friday or in the middle of the week. Besides, the feasibility when applied to many specific industry groups such as education, healthcare, etc is something that businesses need to consider if they intend to deploy this working model.
Shock reduction for smooth transitions
To gradually realize the 4-day working week model, employees and businesses can refer to the steps below to “reduce shock” to be ready for the transition.
Practice time and work management habits: so as not to be surprised when working time is suddenly shortened. They can use time tracking tools like Toggl or Harvest to allocate time appropriately for each work item.
Leverage automated functions: For repetitive or manual tasks, workers can automate by scheduling social media posts, creating canned email responses, automatically dynamically fill out online forms at the touch of a button,… to save time and focus on more important tasks.
Hybrid working model: Enterprises can apply hybrid working – a model of working at the office and at home before deploying to shorten the working day. Hybrid working is a premise to help employees get used to a flexible working form, freely arrange work, thereby reducing ‘surprise’ when deploying to work 4 days a week – which requires employees to focus on solving tasks faster than the old model 5 days per week.
To limit the risks when switching from working 5 days to 4 days per week, businesses should test applying this model with a group of employees before applying it to the whole company. In addition, the use of outsourced services or the application of technology in operation is also a solution to process work faster, reducing administrative work and processes for employees, helping them to maximize efficiency, optimize your time for more strategic tasks.
Back to News page
Keywords
- #HR
- #HR trend
- #human resource management
- #human resource management
- #employee management
- #productivity
- #terraMoments
Related news
-
Essential productivity tips for modern workers
Working efficiently and productively is always an important requirement for every worker. Modern workers are faced with more productivity challenges than ever before. Let terra solve this problem by exploring the following productivity tips for the modern worker. [caption id="attachment_1691" align="alignnone" width="1000"] To increase productivity for modern workers, it is necessary to have a trendy...
-
“Workaholic” syndrome in young people: take a break while you still can!
In a culture that encourages advancement, workers often spend all their time, including self-care, in order to ensure a steady income. This phenomenon is especially evident in young people. Many young people today prefer to be called 'workaholics' because the feeling of being busy makes them feel like they are creating value for themselves and the society. But it's time for young workers to heed the physical...
-
What Companies Need To Know About Hiring Gen Z
Generation Z (or Gen Z) currently accounts for 30% of the world's population and is expected to make up 27% of the workforce by 2025. This will inevitably make a huge impact on the current labor market. As employers, businesses need a certain understanding of Gen Z to know how to attract and retain the next generation of talent. [caption id="attachment_1402" align="alignnone" width="1343"] What...
-
How HR innovate in the context of economic recession, mass layoffs
The fact that many businesses in the world and Vietnam have laid off a series of employees recently has raised concerns for workers, especially the human resources (HR) department. They must find a way to balance the goals of business survival, employee morale, and well-being when business performance goes down. Faced with such a situation, in order to manage their work well by implementing the above...
-
Removing “bad reputation” as being demanding, job hoppers for Gen Z
In contemporary society, when the boundaries between technology and other fields are increasingly blurred, young people have become an indispensable human resource for businesses. It is predicted that by 2025, 1 in 4 working people will be represented by Gen Z. With characteristics such as "flexible", "independent thinking", "creative", Gen Z is gradually showing its important role in the labor market....
-
Tips for dealing offers with candidates
Making requests, suggestions, and agreements (Deal offers) with candidates is considered the last important step in the recruitment process of any company or business. Because it not only affects the interests of the candidate during the working time but also related to the quality of the company's personnel. As an employer, if you are an HR or business looking to prepare well for a deal offer, please...
-
HR Perspective: The criteria of a bright employee
There are many different standards set for a “perfect” employee that makes many people wonder such as: being fluent in at least one foreign language, having a working history of at least 3 years, and being proficient in using computers... If you are a candidate who is confused about how to “evaluate” yourself, or a manager does not know how to evaluate employees, the set of 6 criteria of a bright...
-
The “secret” to assisting your company in attracting and retaining young employees
Millennials and Gen Z employees are practically all businesses’ primary human resources in the 4.0 age. Therefore, what has to be done to attract and retain these young professionals, keep them engaged, and contribute to the success of organizations and businesses? The below article will reveal the keys to making your company a "magnet" for attracting personnel. [caption id="attachment_1017" align="alignnone"...
-
8 tips to help businesses manage employees effectively and maximize their capacity
One of the important and essential tasks of businesses and companies today is human resource management. A successful business is the one that understands how to use and maximize the ability of each individual person, resulting in a solid strength for the business. Therefore, how can businesses utilize their resources, encourage employees to stay for a long time, and ensure that they are constantly...
-
10 tips to boost working motivation after Tet holiday
Every Tet season passes, when returning to the work stream in the new year, people often begin to feel sluggish and depressed. Therefore, in order to quickly get back to working style after a long vacation, employees should be prepared to ensure that they can keep up with the intensity of work. Let terra guide 10 tips to help you quickly regain your health and spirit to return to work in the new year! Change...
