Is a short week a long shot?

PRODUCTIVITY

Four to the fore – does a shorter working week remain a long shot?

by Martin Read

It is something of a ‘luxury’ debate, and in the current swirling maelstrom of economic and cost-control criticalities, next to irrelevant for many. Nevertheless, mid-2022 saw debate on the concept of the four-day week take on further heat.

It follows a trial, which commenced in June, of 70 firms with around 3,300 employees across the UK testing four-day working weeks: one less working day without a pay decrease. It was amplified further by an announcement in September from South Cambridgeshire District Council that it, too, was to trial four-day weeks for desk-based staff from January – and further trials involving bin crews would follow if the initial office trial is successful. Approximately 470 desk-based council staff will be able to take part across all pay grades.

The council will use its standard performance metrics to check on factors including how long it takes to process benefits claims, council house rent collections, and determine planning applications. Industrystandard health and wellbeing surveys will also be used to measure success.

The council’s initiative is in response to difficulties filling certain posts, with an aim to assess whether such a policy can increase the diversity of its workforce; for example, by having childcare costs spread over 20% less time. All told, it’s a fascinating experiment. But what about the private sector?

The flexibility paradox

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) recently weighed in with its own report, Four Day Week – Employer Perspectives of Moving to a Four-Day Week, which established that 34% of firms surveyed expected four-day weeks to be a reality by 2032. (Its analysis was based on a survey of 2,000 employers and ONS Labour Force Survey data on people’s working hours). This despite only “a small minority of firms” having “moved towards the four-day week to date.

The never more than nebulous combination of ‘improved efficiencies’ and ‘adoption of technology’ would be the basis on which a shift to a four-day week without reducing pay would depend, said two thirds of the CIPD’s respondents.

Jonathan Boys, senior labour market economist at the CIPD, said the rationale behind the four-day week (“to give people more leisure time and improve their wellbeing

WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT

A COGNITIVE LOAD OF PROBLEMS

● Those corporate office businesses keen to consider a four-day week as part of their wellbeing credentials are also those whose more relaxed approach to working day discipline has made ‘locking’ work to four instead of five days problematic. ● Paul Modley, director of diversity, equity & inclusion at workforce solutions firm

AMS, said: “The flexibility of being able to work four days a week will certainly help create a bett er work-life balance for some

workforces. However, this concept is new to individuals and businesses alike. ● “The key hurdle to overcome if this is to be successful is the management of workloads.

If staff are cutt ing their hours by 20% but their workload and delivery expectations remain the same, employers could face a scenario where people are struggling to meet expectations and failing to take breaks or working overtime during the new working week to gain an additional day off.”

THE PAY SLIP

TEST RUNS

1 in 3

Number of businesses expecting the four-day week to become a reality within 10 years (CIPD research)

70

Number of UK businesses experimenting with the ‘reduced hours, same pay’ concept in a trial commenced in June

while increasing productivity to compensate”) was positive, but added that the concept faces a challenge as the cost-of-living crisis bites. Paradoxically, individuals “may very well look to increase their hours to boost their income. Greater flexibility in work has the potential to have an overall positive impact on working lives across many sectors. However, this kind of flexibility will be easier for some businesses than others.”

It’s too early to assess how the 70-firm trial is going, but Simon Ursell, managing director of environmental consultancy Tyler Grange, one of the trial firms, told Facilitate that the pilot has thus far “been a very positive experience”, with the consultancy being in “a far stronger position” with clients “reaping the benefits too”.

However, Lawrence Mohiuddine, CEO EMEA at workplace design consultancy Unispace, expressed caution. “If there’s one crucial takeaway from the pandemic, it’s that taking a catch-all approach to working-style mandates isn’t always the best option. People from different demographics and home lives will have different preferences. If the right balance in working styles is to be achieved there needs to be flexibility, rather than broadly dictating requirements, for all.”

The major sticking point is the need to increase productivity by a whopping 25% to make up for the output lost from fewer days of work”

JONATHAN BOYS, SENIOR LABOUR MARKET ECONOMIST, CIPD