HR: The HR Suite’s Caroline

CAROLINE REIDY I s a f o u r - d a y w o r k i n g w e e k v i a b l e ?

In the aftermath of the pandemic, many workforces are increasingly exploring how to work smarter, not harder. In advance of a nationwide trial of the four-day working week commencing in January 2022, The HR Suite’s Caroline Reidy explores both the pros and cons

managing director, The HR Suite

Since Covid-19, the debate around the optimal working week has strengthened as conversations circulate around the new way of working. In order for companies to achieve the maximum benefit for both employers and their staff members, certain factors need to be considered when adjusting their working week.

The first and most important factor a company needs to consider is how to work smarter rather than longer, as this is the alleged key to greater productivity. The second factor that needs to be considered is how to increase leisure time for full-time employees. Increasing employees’ leisure time not only increases motivation levels but can also decrease their chances of experiencing burnout.

Condensed working hours

The idea of working a four-day week (i.e., reduced hours) is captivating for many people within the workforce who work five or more days a week. For the vast majority of individuals in the workforce, having a longer weekend would improve their worklife balance. One principle that has been spoken about is the Pareto principle as a way to manage your workload when given a shorter work week. This principle stipulates that 20% of an employee’s tasks will create 80% of the value; so, although many employees may believe that they cannot get all their tasks completed if their working week is shortened, the principle specifies that it’s about focusing on your highvalue tasks as opposed to putting yourself under pressure to get all tasks completed.

Working a condensed week – i.e., working full-time hours across four days rather than five is one way that many employees currently achieve a four-day week. However, studies have also indicated that full-time employees who work this way have showed decreased levels of productivity and reduced levels of engagement. According to the UK Health and Safety Executive in 2017, it is estimated that approximately 44% of work-related stress in the UK is caused by workload resulting in an economic cost of £5 billion per year. When redistributing working hours in this way, it is imperative that this factor is taken into consideration as this may not be the best option for an employer and employees.

Working smarter not harder

From an employer’s perspective, a reduced working week can only be advantageous when the hours spent at work are the hours when the workforce are functioning at the most productive level or in flow. Furthermore, the quality of work improves over a shorter length of time. It raises the question whether employers should focus on the volume of tasks to be performed and completed, as opposed to focusing on contracting employees to sit X number of hours in an office.

Four-day week trials

There have been many reports of successful trials of fourday weeks in the media of late, including in Iceland, New Zealand and Japan, where employees work a reduced working week. Spain and Scotland have become the latest countries to announce four-day week trials. In Ireland, a sixmonth four-day week trial will commence in January 2022 and supports will be made available for businesses who sign up to participate in the pilot including training, coaching and mentoring, etc. You can find out how to sign up here:

Supports will be made available for businesses who sign up to participate in the fourdayweek.ie pilot scheme including training, coaching and mentoring

CONTACT THE HR SUITE:

If you require further information or advice on HR, please do not hesitate to contact The HR Suite’s consultants on (01) 9014335 or (066) 7102887 or email the company at info@thehrsuiteonline.com.

fourdayweek.ie.

In Japan, Microsoft implemented a four-day working week as an experiment to investigate whether or not employee productivity would be boosted within the company. According to Microsoft Japan, sales increased by approximately 40%.

One would wonder why a four-day week isn’t enjoyed worldwide with such positive results? One of the main reasons why the four-day working week is perhaps not universal is because many work cultures celebrate long working hours and an employee’s devotion to work.

The director of employee relations at Ibec claims that, although it promotes worker flexibility, for certain business sectors it would be unrealistic. For example, within the healthcare industry there is a demand for seven-day staff – so a four-day week may not suit all roles within all industries.

The real challenge is to establish the optimal number of weekly hours to be completed within the working week to maximise productivity and performance for employers.

FOUR-DAY WEEK PROS: FOUR-DAY WEEK CONS:

Improved work/life balance Possible longer working day Increased productivity Availability of childcare facilities etc. Improved wellbeing Availability of services to customers

Higher level of employee engagement Talent retention and attraction of talent More complex contractual issues May not suit all employees

Reduced energy costs and carbon footprint for employers

If you are considering what impact a four-day week working arrangement might have on your organisation, then you may wish to explore the Q&A section on the