OPINION: Employees need better scheduling
January 24, 2020
By the end of the classic five-day workweek, the average worker is more than ready for the long anticipated weekend. However, when it gets towards the end of the week, it’s more likely that his or her work ethic starts to decrease due to exhaustion.
Some companies have tested a four-day workweek, where employees would work for four days a week and rest for three.
“The Microsoft Japan test ran this summer, with employees working four days, having three off and still collecting their full paycheck,” according to a Nov. 24 Fortune article. “The biggest benefit to the company? Productivity went up 40 percent.”
As the week goes on, workload intensifies, and it only makes sense that employees would become more and more stressed. Reducing the amount of hours that employees work will allow them to focus on their work more intensely and have more of a rest to be prepared for the next week. Many other countries have also attempted a four-day workweek.
“Last year, for example, a New Zealand estate planning advisory firm with about 240 employees earned headlines around the world after finding that a trial four-day week had boosted performance,” according to a Nov. 8 New York Times article. “The two-month experiment was so successful that the business, Perpetual Guardian, made the change permanent.”
While it is proven that more days off will improve the working ability of employees, it is important to think about the downsides, such as the need for more employees to work when everyone is off.
“In Sweden, a two-year experiment found that nurses who worked 30-hour weeks spread over five days were happier and healthier than counterparts who worked a typical 40-hour week, though new workers had to be hired,” according to the New York Times article.
Even though it will be an adjustment for companies, a four-day workweek would ultimately improve work mentality, encouraging workers to be more focused and allowing workers to be more loyal to their customers because they will have more time to relax and prepare for the upcoming week. I think that this policy should be implemented in more business around the world in order to better their companies.
