After two month successful trial of a New Zealand company, named Perpetual Guardian with a four-day work week, management is seeking to make the change permanent. During this during landmark experiment productivity up and stress down.
Perpetual Guardian, a company which manages trusts, wills and estate planning, trialed a four-day working week over March and April this year, working four eight-hour days but getting paid for five.
The company said all 240 employees had reported greater productivity, staff stress levels lowered 7 percent, and 78 percent said they could manage work-life balance.
“Many employees see the reduced working hours as ‘a gift’ and ‘a privilege not a right,’ and feel a deep sense of goodwill and reciprocity towards the organization, which manifests in an openness to ‘go the extra mile’ and think about ‘what I can do to give back,’” the qualitative analysis reads.
As a result of the trial, Perpetual Guardian CEO Andrew Barnes has recommended to its board that the four-day work week be made permanent.
“For us, this is about our company getting improved productivity from greater workplace efficiencies … there’s no downside for us,” he said.
“The right attitude is a requirement to make it work – everyone has to be committed and take it seriously for us to create a viable long-term model for our business.”
Outside of work, employees reported other benefits, such as having more time to participate in family life, restore, reconnect and even explore and imagine.
University of Auckland Business School professor Helen Delaney, who studied the trial, said, “My initial analysis suggests that for the greatest chances of success, employees need to be involved in decisions about how it is implemented and monitored long term… goodwill from both management and employees is vital.”
New Zealand’s workplace relations minister, Iain Lees-Galloway, described the findings of the four-day work week as “very interesting”, and said he was keen to work with businesses exploring new models for the modern day office.
>Juthy Saha
New Zealand Company to Introduce 4-day Working Week
Will You Support Our Work?
People turns to WhatsOn to understand what's goingOn? We have been empowering through hope & understanding for the last forty years. We’re an independent social enterprise & our journalism is powered by our supporters. Financial contributions from our readers allows us to keep our journalism free for all & to change the world for better. Please support us, with your donation - no matter how small. Your donation makes a real difference, it empowers our activist & academy, and engages wider community groups, & universities - connecting more people. WhatsOn is a change maker, let’s get our future back together!
