Perpetual Guardian trials four-day working week
We could all use a long weekend from time to time, but what if you had one every week?
In March, trust company Perpetual Guardian will launch a sixweek trial where its full-time staff will work for four days a week but still be paid for five days.
If successful, the company will implement the policy permanently from July 1.
Perpetual founder Andrew Barnes said the idea was to increase productivity and start a conversation that challenged the traditional working week.
Four-day weeks could mean employees might have to work weekends and take weekdays off, he said.
The hours would not be compressed – workers would work 32 hours instead of 40 hours.
All employers faced the challenge of providing their employees with a work-life balance to ensure their performance levels were strong, Barnes said.
‘‘Employees live very different lives today. They are single parents, or both working parents, and most of all they want a life outside of work too,’’ he said.
‘‘Employers have the responsibility of thinking about the health and wellbeing of their employees.’’
Germany and the Netherlands already have 32-hour work weeks.
But Employers and Manufacturers Association chief executive Kim Campbell said he was sceptical about Perpetual Guardian’s trial: ‘‘It’s an expensive experiment if you ask me.’’
Barnes said the results would provide a better understanding of whether this could be plausible in New Zealand too. ‘‘I’m very committed to this, and I really hope that the trial works in proving that you don’t have to work five days to be productive.’’
Barnes said with technology and artificial intelligence threatening many jobs, a shorter but more productive week would allow businesses to get the most out of their workers.
Jarrod Haar, a professor of human resources management at AUT University, said the shorter week could benefit businesses in the long run by reducing employee turnover, as more workers would be satisfied with their jobs.