According to a recent report, workers are willing to sacrifice some facets of their employment experience just to be able to work fewer days each week.
Overall, 89% of professionals want their employer to implement a four-day week, reports recruitment firm Robert Walters Canada. And 66% of professionals would be willing to give up work socials and relationships with colleagues in favor of the shortened work week, finds a survey of 3,500+ working professionals across Canada.
There are many factors at play here, says Martin Fox, managing director, Robert Walters Canada, in talking with HRD Canada.
“COVID was a great accelerator regarding our ways of working, and things haven't been the same since that. So we're coming into this period where people have come through it and there are values and focal points of change. So there's a number of things that come into that: sustainability, improved financial wellbeing.”
Right now, over nine in 10 (93 percent) workers are interested in a four-day workweek, according to a previous report from Talent.com.
‘Detrimental impact’ of 4-day week
According to Fox, workers’ eagerness to jump into the shortened workweek setup is a gut punch to many employers.
“Workplaces have only just turned a corner and started to see more faces in the office – with that has come a burst of energy, collaboration, creativity, and productivity. It is disheartening for employers to hear that a progressive well-being initiative such as a four-day week could harm workplace culture and business relationships. With the trials of four days being so new to many organizations, the long-term impact is hard to ascertain – but with 66% of professionals willing to forego socials and business relationships, companies should be mindful that poor company culture and conflict already costs the Canadian economy upwards of $2 billion a year.”
Numerous employers – including RBC, Amazon, and the federal government – have called on their workers to be in the office more often.
Keeping the culture in a shortened workweek
But there are ways that employers can keep that culture alive, says Fox.
“With a bit of forward-thinking, [employers can] still retain this culture and not lose it by organizing team building activities or social events for days when people are in the office. So if you're only four days, ensure that on some of those days, everybody is in. You can do things like getting lunch for everybody [so] that they eat together on that day that they're in, or planning something in the morning or after work that everybody participates in.
“So you don't have to sacrifice [culture] completely just because it's a four-day week… encourage employee feedback and act on advice as well. This allows employees to feel comfortable that they're being called on to collaborate and make decisions, and this will actually empower a lot of people and that could also result in increased productivity.”
Here are the legal considerations for 4-day workweeks.
A 4-day week is not for everyone
The 4-day week global pilot has seen impressive results with the new setup. Specifically:
Fox, however, cautioned that the new setup may not be for every employer.
“Keep in mind that the pilot trial that we're referencing here… covers ‘white collar positions’, office roles, skilled labour, etc. This is not going to apply to all areas or industry, especially where people need to go in all the time and make things. But it shows that from the pilot, 92% of the companies that did it are going to continue it. So it has worked for the vast majority of the firms that tried it.”
While over half (54%) of white-collar workers consider flexibility at work to be as important or more important than pay, just under half (46%) of blue or gray collar workers say the same, according to a Randstad report.
Best practices for shortened weeks
But for those looking to implement a shortened work week, they must tread with caution, Fox says. “If that is a new policy people are going to implement, clear communication channels are crucial. The message has to be that companies are doing this to improve people's work-life balance, improve their mental health and well being, potentially save them on commuting costs, etc. – not to replace the task at hand, which is being productive, running a business, etc. The expectations need to be the same, the output needs to be equal or better than if they're in five days. Making that very clear, and being very transparent upfront, is crucial to ensure that this works well.”