Because of the digital transformation, people can connect to the internet pretty much anywhere at any time. This has allowed businesses and their employees to be a lot more flexible, by changing how and where they work. This is why it has become one of the top benefits employees look for in a job, 73% of people in fact, according to Insight.com.
With flexibility in mind, there has been a lot of curiosity surrounding how people could potentially work 4 days a week instead of 5. Is it possible to benefit both the employee and employer? Most businesses simply wouldn’t be able to shut for 3 consecutive days, so we are going to look at other ways a 4 day could be implemented, without putting businesses at risk.
If you think about how the retail industry structures their staff working patterns, this could be a good way for other businesses to operate too. Obviously, daily shift patterns wouldn’t work for people that have a 9-5 job, but maybe weekly shift patterns could be beneficial. For example, half of the employees could work Monday to Thursday and the other half Tuesday to Friday. Obviously, as there would be one less day accounted for, it would make sense to extend the working days to ensure valuable working time isn’t lost.
Don’t panic, because if our maths are correct, that only equates to 2 extra hours a day! Which isn’t bad going for a 3-day weekend in return!
As this is a relatively new way to work flexibly, it hasn’t been practiced within the UK yet. So, we thought it would be a good idea to look at the pros and cons of working a 4-day week.
Pros:
Employees can be Flexible
As previously stated, having flexibility within a job is something most people want. It could potentially make such a difference to people’s wellbeing if they can control when they work, as long as they work their contracted daily or weekly hours.
Enhances Company Image
According to Insight.com, over a third of UK employers don’t offer flexible working benefits. When this is compared to 70% of people in the UK that want the option, that isn’t good. Businesses that offer benefits like flexible working and social events, for example, have a much better reputation. According to The Independent, people admit that having these kinds of benefits makes all the difference in a job search, which could increase interest in your business and potentially decrease staff turnover too.
Cons:
The Risk Factor
Going back to the fact the 4-day shift pattern isn’t implemented in the UK, there is no certainty that this style of working would work. If it was to be implemented, other things would have to change in order to accommodate it. If employees have children, their childcare arrangements will need to change in order for them to work these new hours, as nurseries only operate between 9-5 generally.
Making adjustments
When a business implements a new working structure, there should always be procedures to support them. This is to ensure the structures are fair and it won’t affect employee’s productivity. So, if your employees are working longer hours, they should be entitled to more breaks to ensure they can remain focused throughout the day.
Considering all these points, people want to have a good work-life balance, which flexible working can offer. Bringing in a 4-day week structure could absolutely work, with shift patterns in place. This would ensure there are never any staffing issues and workloads won’t suffer.
Businesses need to recognise that the digital transformation has changed people’s mindset, so businesses need to do the same. Even if you feel implementing a 4-day working week isn’t right for your business, having flexible working, in general, will improve your employee’s productivity, your reputation and staff turnover!