INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY, LOWER RISK

Will COVID-19 Lead To A 4-Day Workweek?

In 2019, Microsoft’s Tokyo office experienced a 40 percent increase in overall productivity following a shift to a four-day workweek. The switch gained headlines around the world as another encouraging example of a shorter workweek trial.

Accounting and tech firms, full-service marketing agencies, and even municipalities have significantly decreased hours resulting in revenue and efficiency skyrocket. And, as expected, employee retention has risen as well.

At first brushstroke, these articles sounded like some-

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thing out of a dream world; however, research indicates an abundance of downtime in the workday of most experienced workers. Employees are seldom constructive through all hours of the workday. A reduced workweek drives efficiency, encouraging more work in less time. An additional day off opens more time for hobbies and events that fulfill us. It also provides us the freedom to flourish over the long run and not burn out.

In a nutshell, for many organizations, the four-day workweek has been on the minds of executives for quite some time. The pandemic creates a perfect opportunity to make the transition to reduced weekly hours.

Craft a schedule that works for your team

Revamping work schedules by reducing hours, without pay cuts, may be the pace companies need to discover their new normal. Finding this pace sooner rather than later will undoubtedly help businesses prepare for the future.

Companies have eliminated a day of the week while others have reduced hours each day. Another building trend resulting in fewer hours at the office is rotating and overlapping hours to create variety in office structure and still provide flexibility to your workforce.

Offering two six-hour, overlapping periods, or even overlapping days, would give organizations the ability to maintain an eight-hour day and have the doors open every weekday. A segment of your team can work Monday through Thursday, and another portion can work Tuesday through Friday. Mixing in working from home one to two days a week can offer the quality of life employees are looking for post-virus.

Do not waste the opportunities that the crisis presents. Undoubtedly, the coronavirus has created turbulent times, but it could also offer employers the ideal opening to creatively refocus employee schedules that have required a refresh for some time.

EXPERIENCE. COMMUNITY. PERSPECTIVE.