The motion has taken the UK by storm, but in NZ there's little movement
A New Zealand born initiative to change the work week from five to four days has been tabled as a Parliamentary bill in the UK and will be debated later this month. But it’s a different story back home in New Zealand, with the government signalling little motion around the idea. In a Facebook Live video after New Zealand’s first level 4 COVID lockdown, prime minister Jacinda Ardern said: “I hear lots of people suggesting we should have a four-day workweek. Ultimately that really sits between employers and employees” – suggesting that legislation around it doesn’t appear to be on the horizon in New Zealand.
Ardern’s comments were made in relation to stimulating domestic tourism, suggesting the prime minister isn’t aware of the initiative or the productivity value the four-day week can bring to organisations.
Read more: 4-day week CEO on rethinking work hours. At its heart it’s a conversation about productivity
“I think a four-day week is the silver bullet,” said Jane Kennelly, wellbeing and innovation expert. “We’re floundering in the skills shortage, burnout, resignations, retention issues, too few wellbeing initiatives that show our people that we genuinely care. Moving to a four-day week allows an organisation to deal to these issues.
“If it all sounds impossible, let's think about a roofing company in Matamata who moved to the model,” she said. “With careful planning and analysis, their four-day working week is in action. Productivity is up, injuries and mistakes are down, customer jobs are completed to schedule and retention is not an issue. The team is mentored on how to make the most of the extra day, so the benefits are felt by the whole whanau."
The move from the UK comes at the half-way point of the largest trial of a four-day week pilot program. The scheme saw over 70 companies trialling a four-day work week for six months, shedding light on an encouraging trend for business productivity and worker wellbeing improvement.
Read more: Spain set to trial 4-day week in bid to boost productivity
A mid-point survey of businesses signed up to the pilot found that 88% of respondents stated the four-day week is working well for their business and 86% stated that at this juncture in the trial they would be “extremely likely” or “likely” to consider retaining the four-day week policy after the trial period. In terms of productivity, 15% of respondents said their productivity had increased significantly, 34% said productivity had improved slightly and 46% said the same level of productivity had been maintained.
A similar trial involving over 30 companies is being run across Australia and New Zealand after founder of 4 Day Week Global, Andrew Barnes successfully implemented the idea at his 240-employee company Perpetual Guardian and used the knowledge he garnered to set up 4 Day Week Global.
“The big opportunity is the redesign of work itself. Technology and culture need to play a part in its success, however reducing mundane and repetitive tasks, taking a data-led approach to work design and adopting new technologies can lead organisations confidently through the four-day week door,” Kennelly said. “The benefits could include increased productivity, increased engagement, a more equal workplace for all, and a reduced carbon footprint. It also means it’s possible for a business to encourage employees to have a meaningful career and better work/life balance while achieving the same or better in the productivity stakes.”
