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Current times have led to revisions in the traditional business model. One of the proposals that generates reflections among businessmen and employees is Four working days a week. In it, employees work 32 hours a week instead of the usual 40 hours. For those who like the idea, the news is good: recently, a hands-on trial was completed stating that 4 working days a week Increases productivity and employee satisfaction.
The test was promoted by 4 Day Week Global, a platform that helps companies implement the four-day workweek and funds research on the future of work in this model. From February to August 2022, 33 companies in six countries piloted the four-day workweek. The platform trials are being conducted in partnership with academics at Harvard Business School, Oxford University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Participating companies report increased revenue, improved employee health and well-being, and positive impacts on the environment. After the success, there are a hundred companies studying or already applying the same approach. information from the site Business interested.
The revenue data is interesting. Combined corporate revenue, weighted by volume, increased 8.14% — which for some organizations was nearly 40% higher than the growth during the same six-month period last year.
The companies that participated in the testing reported almost no negatives. None of the 27 participants in the final survey said they had plans to go back to a five-day week. All 495 employees involved in the operation wanted to keep their daily routine light. According to post-test surveys, everyone from CEOs and managers to junior employees saw far-reaching benefits. A new test is under way, this time in the UK.
In terms of positive effects on the environment, 4 Day Week found that participants spent, on average, one hour less in traffic. According to Orla Kelly, an environmental sociologist at University College Dublin and lead researcher of the 4-Day Week Study, a shorter work week also helps people make more environmentally sensitive choices.
“When people work longer hours, they tend to get into this kind of work-spend cycle where spending patterns tend to be very extreme.” The expert told the site that people are more likely to buy food in disposable plastic packaging, drive to work rather than walk or use public transportation, and spend more money on material goods when they work longer.
Finally, the positive impact was also felt on gender issues. In general, women have two shifts, and having one more free day a week helps them rest and devote themselves to other activities. According to the sociologist, the new paradigm helps women stay in full-time employment, removing the negative effects that going out might have on their economic status and career.
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