Change is a word that has been totally redefined for all of us. Even those who are not normally comfortable with embracing change, and hesitate or even procrastinate, have had to accept that change is inevitable both in their personal and professional lives since the start of this awful pandemic.
Change is not a bad thing, rather a stimulus for trying out new experiences and an opportunity for growth, to upskill and push the boundaries. It is born out of both good and bad events, and it leads to evolution and that leads to further enriching our personal and professional lives.
The only way to find out if something is possible is to try it out. Remember that famous saying “Each journey begins with a step”?
As this pandemic took hold we adapted to working from home for an extended period, which then evolved to hybrid working, and other new ways of work. Covid-19 has been the trigger for the world to question the traditional held views of a five day, 40-hour working week.
Globally, working from home set-ups due to the lockdowns and quarantine restrictions resulted in burnout, with many working longer hours which – in turn – blurred the lines between our work and private lives. Many are looking for an improved work-life balance as they return to the office.
What’s needed for a shorter four-day working week?
The simplest and shortest answer to this is efficient time management combined with the will to achieve it!
One of the new ways of work that is being considered more and more as a serious contender is a shorter four-day working week. In a labour market where employees are quitting their jobs and employers are competing for top talent, the benefit of a shorter week is a strong incentive and a positive inducement.
The intent is simple, and it’s about giving employees time back and more freedom in their schedule, so they feel empowered, understood and supported, whilst also having that camaraderie and interaction that takes place in an office amongst colleagues.
One of the new ways of work that is being considered more and more as a serious contender is a shorter four-day working week.
Worldwide, adoption of a shorter week is predominantly in a pilot phase, as businesses navigate through the different challenges, whether they are planned or unexpected, and we have seen trials in Iceland most prominently that experimented with shorter hours that represented a four day week and companies that do shifts to cover a five day week but each shift only works four days.
Two critical components to making the shorter week succeed as a permanent way of work is that employees need to relearn how to work in a more focused way. This involves fewer, shorter meetings, ‘smart’ scheduling of time and resources, and avoiding unnecessary distractions. For employers and business owners, they need to investigate how they can feasibly restructure their working week, to maintain productivity while increasing focus on their employees’ mental health.
Due diligence and other considerations
You really need to do your own research and talk to business owners in your network, ask direct questions about their experiences, lessons learned along the way, any tips or guidance they are happy to share. Read, read and read any published material on this topic. In addition, get clued up on UAE Labour Laws and how you can “fit” the new working format into them.
Potential challenges of a shorter working week
Removing a whole day from the working week will present different logistical challenges for any company, depending on the nature of the business and set-up. Companies will need to look at changing workflow processes at the office, deadlines, meetings, customer/client interactions, prioritising different commitments, KPIs, scheduling, amongst others. Efficiency and productivity will become critical for the success of a shorter working week.
A shorter working week, in effect, will demand a change in culture. We need to let go of the belief that long working hours lead to better results.
Efficiency and productivity will become critical for the success of a shorter working week.
Priority is wellbeing and productivity
The motive for a four-day working week is all about the PEOPLE and the efficient use and application of their time to provide them with a healthy balance of work and personal time.
We know that in the marketing, advertising, public relations and customer services fields people are what make an organisation and they are and should be the priority. With a better work life balance, employees will become more energised, creative and passionate about what they do for their clients and the business as a whole.
At the agency, we have always had written policies and procedures accessible by all our team members and we reviewed those to reflect this new way of working. We’ve given the team a month to assimilate and refine their working days around this as well as to be ready for any client questions once we announced it to them. At the end of the day, we recognise that being agile and dynamic allows us to also learn and respond to any unforeseen challenges that may arise from taking this pioneering step in the region.
Four-day working week or not
Health and wellbeing have never been under the spotlight as much as they have been recently. Businesses are having to respond to employee health concerns or else risk the costs related to stress and burnout. In effect, there is no turning back as employers take the responsibility of finding ways to offer their team the support and flexibility they need, which ultimately is to their benefit.
Health and wellbeing have never been under the spotlight as much as they have been recently.
Whether or not a four-day week is the right solution for your business to stay competitive, a serious discussion over flexible and reduced working hours is something that all organisations will have to address in a world where technology not only defines our social habits but also our working lives.
The future of the working week is looking bleak and it is now not in the remit of companies to offer but for employees to demand.
Final thoughts…
Even when you do embark on a shorter working week, in whatever format works for you and your business, in the connected world we live in, it’s never CLOSED for business. You and your team can still check e-mails, social media, and attend any calls and Zoom conferences on the move should the need arise.
Sawsan Ghanem, managing partner, Active DMC.
By Sawsan Ghanem
More of this topic
Four-day working week – why now?
The future of the working week is looking bleak and it is now not in the remit of companies to offer but for employees to demand
Change is a word that has been totally redefined for all of us. Even those who are not normally comfortable with embracing change, and hesitate or even procrastinate, have had to accept that change is inevitable both in their personal and professional lives since the start of this awful pandemic.
Change is not a bad thing, rather a stimulus for trying out new experiences and an opportunity for growth, to upskill and push the boundaries. It is born out of both good and bad events, and it leads to evolution and that leads to further enriching our personal and professional lives.
The only way to find out if something is possible is to try it out. Remember that famous saying “Each journey begins with a step”?
As this pandemic took hold we adapted to working from home for an extended period, which then evolved to hybrid working, and other new ways of work. Covid-19 has been the trigger for the world to question the traditional held views of a five day, 40-hour working week.
Globally, working from home set-ups due to the lockdowns and quarantine restrictions resulted in burnout, with many working longer hours which – in turn – blurred the lines between our work and private lives. Many are looking for an improved work-life balance as they return to the office.
What’s needed for a shorter four-day working week?
The simplest and shortest answer to this is efficient time management combined with the will to achieve it!
One of the new ways of work that is being considered more and more as a serious contender is a shorter four-day working week. In a labour market where employees are quitting their jobs and employers are competing for top talent, the benefit of a shorter week is a strong incentive and a positive inducement.
The intent is simple, and it’s about giving employees time back and more freedom in their schedule, so they feel empowered, understood and supported, whilst also having that camaraderie and interaction that takes place in an office amongst colleagues.
Worldwide, adoption of a shorter week is predominantly in a pilot phase, as businesses navigate through the different challenges, whether they are planned or unexpected, and we have seen trials in Iceland most prominently that experimented with shorter hours that represented a four day week and companies that do shifts to cover a five day week but each shift only works four days.
Two critical components to making the shorter week succeed as a permanent way of work is that employees need to relearn how to work in a more focused way. This involves fewer, shorter meetings, ‘smart’ scheduling of time and resources, and avoiding unnecessary distractions. For employers and business owners, they need to investigate how they can feasibly restructure their working week, to maintain productivity while increasing focus on their employees’ mental health.
Due diligence and other considerations
You really need to do your own research and talk to business owners in your network, ask direct questions about their experiences, lessons learned along the way, any tips or guidance they are happy to share. Read, read and read any published material on this topic. In addition, get clued up on UAE Labour Laws and how you can “fit” the new working format into them.
Potential challenges of a shorter working week
Removing a whole day from the working week will present different logistical challenges for any company, depending on the nature of the business and set-up. Companies will need to look at changing workflow processes at the office, deadlines, meetings, customer/client interactions, prioritising different commitments, KPIs, scheduling, amongst others. Efficiency and productivity will become critical for the success of a shorter working week.
A shorter working week, in effect, will demand a change in culture. We need to let go of the belief that long working hours lead to better results.
Priority is wellbeing and productivity
The motive for a four-day working week is all about the PEOPLE and the efficient use and application of their time to provide them with a healthy balance of work and personal time.
We know that in the marketing, advertising, public relations and customer services fields people are what make an organisation and they are and should be the priority. With a better work life balance, employees will become more energised, creative and passionate about what they do for their clients and the business as a whole.
At the agency, we have always had written policies and procedures accessible by all our team members and we reviewed those to reflect this new way of working. We’ve given the team a month to assimilate and refine their working days around this as well as to be ready for any client questions once we announced it to them. At the end of the day, we recognise that being agile and dynamic allows us to also learn and respond to any unforeseen challenges that may arise from taking this pioneering step in the region.
Four-day working week or not
Health and wellbeing have never been under the spotlight as much as they have been recently. Businesses are having to respond to employee health concerns or else risk the costs related to stress and burnout. In effect, there is no turning back as employers take the responsibility of finding ways to offer their team the support and flexibility they need, which ultimately is to their benefit.
Whether or not a four-day week is the right solution for your business to stay competitive, a serious discussion over flexible and reduced working hours is something that all organisations will have to address in a world where technology not only defines our social habits but also our working lives.
The future of the working week is looking bleak and it is now not in the remit of companies to offer but for employees to demand.
Final thoughts…
Even when you do embark on a shorter working week, in whatever format works for you and your business, in the connected world we live in, it’s never CLOSED for business. You and your team can still check e-mails, social media, and attend any calls and Zoom conferences on the move should the need arise.
Sawsan Ghanem, managing partner, Active DMC.
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