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Have you ever thought of a shorter working week for around 4 days with Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays work-free? Seems like a dream, right? However, I personally think, it’ll be a huge success!
Well, imagine this scenario: It’s Thursday, 10:30 pm. Dinner’s done and so is all of your office work. You’ve booked your tickets for a three-day trip to Manali and are settling in for a good night’s sleep.
It appears to be great!
But, a more realistic scenario for most working professionals would be: It’s 11:30 p.m. on a Thursday and you’re still up, listening to your boss ranting. You’re also making a list of everything you’ve to finish by this week during your lunch breaks. Throughout this, you want to take a vacation since you’re very fatigued from working all throughout the week, but you only have one Sunday off.
Who enjoys sleeping for five hours or less every day, skipping breakfast, and rushing to work? At some point, the person will get physically exhausted by his or her daily chores and may consider leaving the work!
The Benefits Of A Shorter Work Week
As attention-seeking as it may sound, the shorter working week approach is gaining traction these days. Employees are discussing the idea because the pandemic has pushed us to take a long, hard look at the modern workplace, as well as linked topics like work-life balance, mental health, and worker flexibility.
A similar study had taken place in Iceland. Trials of a four-day week in Iceland were an “overwhelming success,” according to experts, and resulted in many people working reduced hours.
Also Read: Here’s How You Can Use Your Anxieties For A More Productive Lifestyle
Workers were paid the same amount for working fewer hours in the trials, which took place between 2015 and 2019. And according to them, productivity in the majority of workplaces remained stable or improved.
Talking technically, a four-day working week can reduce the working hours by 20%. A shorter-working week approach can help address many existing workplace issues, making people more productive, healthier, and happier.
Those who believe that lowering working hours would lead to a loss in production are mistaken! Employees perform more effectively and are less exhausted when they work fewer hours.
If you were to tell your employees they only had to work 32 hours a week, with a whole weekday off every week, they’d probably be overjoyed.
Employees that are pleased are more creative, driven, and engaged. Furthermore, they are less likely to take sick leave, allowing them to meet deadlines and achieve goals more regularly. Moreover, they feel more in control of their fate when their work weeks are shorter and therefore a continual juggling act between work and life is reduced.
So don’t you think a shorter work life is thus a better life? Do let us know in the comment section below.
Image Credits: Google Images
Find the blogger: @chiinniiiii
This post is tagged under: shorter week; less working hours; employees; employers; shorter work-life; work; pleasure; work-life; struggle; private jobs; job; government jobs; working life; millennials; youth; 4-day week; employment; Iceland; New Zealand
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