As more than 200 UK companies signed up to offer workers a permanent four-day working week, one chief people officer has questioned whether such a broad move is really as good as it sounds.
The employers in the latest tranche of organisations offering a four-day week, with the same pay as a five-day week, employ more than 5,000 people. Technology companies, charities and marketing firms are the most common supporters of the four-day pattern, according to the latest figures from the 4 Day Week Foundation, formerly known as the 4 Day Week Campaign.
Joe Ryle, campaign director of the foundation, said: “As hundreds of British companies and one local council have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers.
“The nine to five, five-day working week was invented 100 years ago and is no longer fit for purpose. We are long overdue an update.”
New norm by 2030
Nebel Crowhurst, chief appreciation officer at Reward Gateway, said: “On the surface, the four-day workweek seems broadly appealing. And with nearly 60 percent of the public believing this will become our new norm by 2030, it is absolutely right that we examine the proposals properly.”
But she added: “My immediate thought is, how does imposing yet another structure on how we work offer flexibility to employees? Surely that is counterintuitive to the reasoning behind considering it in the first place? I fear, rather than encouraging flexibility, this new blanket approach will simply see scores of employees having to cram five days’ worth of work into four.
Unique employee needs
“Employees’ individual needs are unique to them; while one person might benefit from a four-day workweek, others might prefer shorter hours spread over more days, a personal day off each month, or time out each day for the school run or gym.
“While I am not against any progress that can be made to modify our working patterns, it is vital businesses assess all options before jumping on the bandwagon. There are smarter approaches that can afford more personalised flexibility and allow for better productivity.”
