One Company’s Experiment Could Change the Workweek as We Know It
And on the fifth day of the workweek, no one worked. And it was good.
Go ahead and save this post for the next office meeting you have with your boss. Are you sick of working five days a week? Are you tired of missing out on life because you're working so much?
Well, this information could be a game changer.
Recently a company in New Zealand decided to test out a four-day workweek. According to the New York Times, Perpetual Guardian in New Zealand, had their 240 employees only work four days out of the week for two solid months. The requirement was 32 hours, instead of the standard 40-hour week. Then, with the help of researchers from the University of Auckland, they asked their employees to share their thoughts.
Do you think you can guess what their opinion was?
Employees reported lower stress, a better balance of work and life, and worked more productively over those four days. The researchers also found that the employees took less days off, tended to be more punctual on a daily basis, didn't leave early near as often, and even took fewer breaks throughout the day. They even cut down meeting times as they understood the value of their colleagues time.
The results seems pretty positive for both the employer and the employee if you ask me.
We've seen reports of shorter workweeks being better for your health. This just takes it to another level. Maybe you can present this to your boss and have them conduct a similar experiment.