The Impact of working 4 days a week – A productivity hack?
Professional employees typically work 5 days a week and are given the weekend off to recharge their batteries. However, many companies have found success with providing just four working days per week in an effort to boost employee productivity and engagement. With 4-day work weeks, workers may not only be more productive, but also healthier and happier. But, what are the most compelling reasons to implement this type of shift? And, how should businesses prepare to make this transition? These are some of the questions we’ll tackle in today’s blog post on the impact of working 4 days a week – A productivity hack?
Working less doesn’t mean working without a purpose. In fact, you might find that an abbreviated workweek helps your productivity and makes for a happier workplace. By reducing your employees’ hours, you can increase their efficiency and engagement, as well as reduce expenses.
Pros of Working 4 days a week
Having fewer workdays can actually benefit businesses. Shorter workweeks give employers more control over scheduling, and if implemented correctly, less time on-site could actually lead to greater productivity. If an employee is disinterested in his or her job, having four days to mentally prepare for any given day at work will almost certainly improve performance. The same can be said if there are employees that just don’t know when to quit—working fewer hours might make them think twice about filling up every minute with unnecessary tasks. Finally, some studies show that people perform better when they get adequate rest—if you’re tired during your normal workday, imagine how tired you’d be after putting in five or six extra hours! And according to science (and common sense), getting enough sleep leads to increased productivity and decreased stress levels. One study found those who slept six hours per night had a much harder time making decisions than those who got eight.
Cons of 4 Days Work Week
Yes, four-day work weeks do come with some disadvantages. First, they’re unrealistic for many industries and professions (executives and employees who can’t afford to take time off during peak business hours are two examples). Second, it’s difficult to maintain employee productivity if your team works only four days in a row. Employees may get tired or distracted by non-work activities. For example, just because your office is closed on Fridays doesn’t mean your employees won’t go out drinking with friends on Thursday nights! Finally, it would be tough to recruit talented candidates to join your company if you were known as a four-day workplace. If you were hiring full-time roles from candidates that have always worked nine-to-five jobs, it might be hard to convince them that your workplace runs differently. On top of that, some companies hire part-time workers to save money—in these cases, there’s no benefit to switching to a four-day work week. One perk: You could reduce health insurance costs by 25 percent for salaried employees since there’s one less day per month where health benefits are needed.
Conclusion
In today’s business world, productivity is increasingly important. Most companies track employee productivity in some manner or another and use workforce management software as a means to manage company resources effectively. In our next section, we will discuss how workforce management software can help you better monitor employee productivity to support your company goals. Today, let’s consider productivity hacks. How many times have you heard someone say something like: I wish I could get my employees to work on Fridays instead of me having to come in. The idea here is that if only they would do what they are paid for (i.e., work), then I wouldn’t have had to work either because it would be done! Does that sound fair? The reality is that managing an organization’s people are one of managers’ most challenging responsibilities.
SOURCE: The Impact of working 4 days a week- A productivity hack?
