With burnout becoming increasingly common among employees around the world, many companies have introduced new policies to improve work-life balance. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2022 Report, only 24% of South African workers are engaged at work and only 29% are thriving in their overall well-being.
When the concept of a four-day work week was first introduced by entrepreneur Andrew Barnes in 2018, it challenged the nearly 100-year-old convention of a five-day work week, and many people thought it would never be a viable business model. Since then, as many as 90 countries across North America, Australia and New Zealand have already made the move to a four-day work week.
How does it work?
The driving force behind this revolutionary business model is 4 Day Work Week Global, a non-profit organisation established by Andrew Barnes and business leader Charlotte Lockhart. The model is based on a ratio of 100-80-100, where companies pay their employees 100% of their salary for 80% of the time they work (32 hours) in exchange for 100% employee output.
The aim of the project is to create a new way of working that improves business productivity while addressing employees’ wellness and gender-equality issues. According to 4 Day Work Week Global, 78% of employees with four-day work weeks are happier and less stressed.
SA joins the ranks
As appealing as this sounded, it was still a foreign concept to most businesses, and companies entered trials to analyse the success of the model. Earlier this year, 29 South African businesses joined the ranks of countries involved in the four-day work week trial.
These include Marais Software Solutions, an IT software development company; Tax Maverick and The Tax Ladies, a tax and finance service; 2Stories, a marketing agency; and Maties Gymnasium, Stellenbosch University’s fitness gymnasium.
Are there cons?
While some companies have seen increased productivity and improved well-being among employees, others are still not convinced that it's a viable business model.
“While the idea of a four-day work week appears to increase the morale of employees, the fact that their productivity must remain despite fewer hours could result in burnout and increased stress,” says Abigail Butcher, an associate in the Employment Law practice at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, in conversation with BusinessTech. Moreover, the hours that are lost by the four-day work week need to be made up by hiring more staff, which can lead to extra costs for the business.
It's also been said that larger South African businesses are likely not ready to adopt permanent a four-day work week. However, it could be viable for smaller and medium-sized technology companies.
The proof is in the numbers
Despite the naysayers, the statistics from the global trials are clear indicators that the four-day work week model is working. A particularly noteworthy stat is that participating companies have rated the trial a nine out of 10, saying that they've been satisfied with their overall productivity and performance. More importantly, none of the companies have returned to a five-day week post-trial.
We can only hope that more companies will come on board and adopt this new way of working. After all, employees are the biggest asset to any business.
A 4-DAY WORK WEEK: YAY OR NAY?
Reviewed by Amaarah
on
May 03, 2023
Rating:
Reviewed by Amaarah
on
May 03, 2023
Rating:
