American unions fought for the two-day weekend.
Australian unions brought about the eight-hour working day.
Now Ireland has joined an international campaign that aims to introduce a four-day working week.
Campaigning for change
A shorter working week is exactly what the Four-Day Week Ireland (4DWI) group is trying to achieve.
The Irish arm of the campaign includes the Fórsa trade union, the National Women’s Council and Friends of the Earth. 4DWI aim to start a public conversation on the case for reduced working time.
4DWI is part of a wider international campaign. The group’s medium-term objective is to introduce a four-day working week as a standard working arrangement with no loss of pay or productivity.
From the employer perspective, this of course means that your payroll costs remain the same even though staff will be working a day less each week.
Proof in productivity
The 4DWI support their case by pointing to research into productivity. Studies on companies who operate a four-day working week show that productivity depends as much on wellbeing as it does on hours worked.
When employees have an extra day to rest, de-stress, and recuperate, they come back happier and more involved in their work. Modern workers want greater control over their working hours to achieve a better work-life balance. This is driven by concerns for their mental and physical wellbeing.
An EAP programme is a useful way to help employees find a way through physical and mental health difficulties.
The result is that productivity doesn’t suffer as employees put in more effort during the four working days.
Impact on operations
Any potential move to a four-day week will not happen overnight. To be successful, a shorter working week will require strong management and clever rostering to ensure that businesses and public services continue to function over a five day or seven-day working week.
How the four-day working week can work for you
4DWI kicked off its campaign yesterday in Dublin’s Royal Irish Academy. Among the guest speakers were employers who have introduced a four-day working week. They discussed how it has benefited their business and employee productivity.
How would introducing a four-day working week benefit your business?
As the war for talent remains highly competitive, introducing a four-day week could give your business a competitive advantage in efforts to attract and retain staff.
As technology continues to change the way we do our work, the four-day week movement is an indication of what the future of work might look like.
Need our help?
If you would like further complimentary advice on the four-day working week from an expert, our advisors are ready to take your call any time day or night. Call us on 0818 923 923 or request a callback here.
