When tech first took over, general opinion was it was going to transform our lives. We’d be working smarter—less hours and from the comfort of our home. Except, the opposite has happened.
Thanks to being constantly connected, the 9-5 just doesn’t cut it anymore, and emails must be answered now, not in a few hours and certainly not tomorrow. People are more stressed than ever before, the result of being increasingly time-poor and under pressure to live up to the unrealistic expectations that social media promotes. All of this is having a dire impact on our mental health.
Over the past few years, a lot of companies, especially the ‘younger’ tech ones, have been implementing flexi-hours with great results. Letting your employee choose the hours that suit him or her has proven to make them happier, more productive and more creative. Because, let’s face it, nothing says, “I’m your boss and I don’t think you’re responsible enough to make your own decisions,” than the dreaded clock-watching mentality.
Enforcing working hours with an iron fist can make your employees feel undermined and—sensing they’re just another employee without a life beyond work or the ability to make their own sound judgement—they certainly won’t feel any loyalty towards you and, if they can, they’ll be hotfooting out of there as soon as an opportunity presents itself. This is especially true of millennials, who make up your future workforce.
Microsoft experiments
So, have we reached the stage where a four-day working week needs to be seriously considered? As you probably know, Labour has promised if it’s elected to implement a four-day working week in the UK within ten years. It’s a clever way to get votes but it’s also a forward-thinking idea that’ll appeal to younger voters in particular.
In August, Microsoft experimented with a four-day work week at one of its office in Japan. The ‘Work-Life Choice Challenge 2019’ gave all 2,300 employees Friday off while still receiving full-time wages. The result? Employees reported feeling happier (a given, really) and they were more productive.
Photo by Flickr
Microsoft did a clever thing implementing this scheme in Japan—it has some of the longest working hours in the world and almost a quarter of workers are required to put in 80 extra hours per month, often unpaid. A study by travel company Expedia found that most Japanese employees did not use their ten paid leave days, mostly out of guilt for taking leave! But all this hard work and unwavering dedication does not make Japan super-productive. Quite the opposite, in fact. Among G-7 nations, Japan has the lowest productivity rate.
During its August experiment, labour productivity shot up 40% compared to August 2018. Running costs went down too—electricity by 23%—and 60% less paper was used, resulting in a better environmental impact. By the end of the month, 92% of employees reported being happier with the shorter week.
Microsoft have since announced they will continue with the experiment in winter, though this time the employees will be offered flexi-hours rather than a four-day week.
By the end of the month, 92% of employees reported being happier with the shorter week.
“[The following] has been visible from the ‘Work-Life Choice Challenge 2019,” Microsoft said in a report on the experiment. “One—employees are seeking ‘diversified work style’; two—‘Work-Life Choice’ is effective for realising diverse work style; three—companywide, the challenge becomes a new motivation for improving work efficiency. Work to further improve work efficiency to realise fulfilling holidays and learning.”
A few Silicon Valley companies in the US have been trying out the four-day week, and in 2018 a trust company in New Zealand also trialled the concept. The results of the latter were a boost in work-life balance, reduced stress levels and a belief among employees that the company trusted and cared about them (see point about clock-watching).
With most people now able to work remotely, and various computer programs able to track workflow, flexi-hours seems to be the next logical step in a rethink of the way we work. Whether we’re ever able to evolve into a four-day work week remains to be seen, but you get the feeling that in a hundred years from now, the idea of wasting petrol and time driving to an office every morning, remaining there for eight hours, and then wasting more petrol and time getting home, and doing all of this five days a week, will not only seem illogical but ludicrous.