podcastsinenglish Level B.76 The four-day week
Oct 18, 2018
Diving into a New Zealand company's groundbreaking four-day workweek, the hosts unveil impressive results from their trial: reduced stress, heightened job satisfaction, and boosted productivity. They explore different models, contrasting the Kiwi approach with the U.S. method of compressing hours. Cautionary tales arise as they discuss potential downsides, like meeting pressures and fatigue from longer days. Additionally, they highlight France's efforts to curb after-hours contact. Is the four-day week the future of work? The debate continues!
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New Zealand Company Trial
- Perpetual Guardian in New Zealand trialled a four-day working week with almost 250 staff in March 2018.
- The company surveyed employees before and after and declared the trial a great success.
Happier Staff, Higher Productivity
- Employees reported lower stress, higher job satisfaction, and better work–life balance after the trial.
- Reduced stress correlated with increased productivity, so happier staff worked better.
Less Hours, Same Pay Matters
- The US model compresses 40 hours into four 10-hour days, while Perpetual Guardian reduced total hours and still paid full-time wages.
- The key difference was fewer hours with the same pay, not just fewer days.