Seamlessly Transitioning To A Four-day Work Week

Companies have been experimenting with varying degrees of flexible work policies for several years now, but the pandemic has forced businesses to settle on the best solution possible.

This has led many to look into the concept of a four-day work week, which has slowly become more popular in recent years.

For instance, Spain is working on a national shift to a four-day or 32-hour work week after the idea was proposed by Vice President Pablo Iglesias late last year.

However, some are not keen on this idea and believe it would cause productivity to dwindle and costs to skyrocket.

Still, those who have had experience with this arrangement have largely found that it carries more benefits than downsides, such as the ability to attract and retain talent, increase employee satisfaction, boost productivity and actually save businesses money.

So how can companies begin to make the transition to a four-day week without dealing with the organizational headache?

The most important step is to start slow. For instance, Unilever and Microsoft tested this arrangement in only certain portions of the company to ensure a seamless shift.

Additionally, training line managers to have an understanding of the benefits of this arrangement, as well as letting them be part of the decision-making process, will be crucial.

Not only should managers be engaged, but staff should be as well. Since everyone has varying ways of working, it is important for employees to express how they think productivity and wellbeing can be improved.