There are plenty of reasons why both employers and employees are considering the 4-day working week. National Insurance contributions are set to rise in April and the 4-day working week could reduce UK employees’ commute costs anywhere between £160-£796 a year. Not only that but following the pandemic, everyone’s been reflecting on their work-life balance.
As you’ve most likely gathered, there are reasons unique to each business and each individual why the 4-day working week is advantageous but likewise, there are also particular obstacles to overcome based on the individual need.
However, in general, the consensus for the pros and cons of a 4-day working week are:
The Pros
The general theory behind a shorter working week is that employees are happier, and their work output is a reflection of this. Working 4 days instead of 5 is known to reduce costs by preventing your business from paying employees for hours of work at a lower level of efficiency due to work fatigue. Speaking of work fatigue, it also reduces presenteeism & burnout by promoting a healthier work/life balance and prevents employees from feeling undervalued.
The Cons
The nitty-gritty side of things is you have to think about whether or not reducing your working week to four days affects your holiday allowance. You must also consider that communication has to be an even bigger focus for the arrangement to be workable and expectations must be clearly laid out as a 5-day working capacity now has to be squeezed into 4. Depending on whether or not your business just closes for an extra day or if your employees choose when their extra day off is, the new style of Rota will initially be a little jarring for your HR department to adapt to.
What are your thoughts on adopting a 4-day working week? We’ve touched on the 4-day work week having unique effects on individuals and businesses but knowing what those effects are ahead of time will save you and your business time and money.
If you’re thinking about implementing this new style of work, but you’re concerned about its effects, we have a FREE 15-minute advice line to seek advice with one of our HR specialists.
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