Scotland is planning a 4-day week for civil servants and wants the private sector to follow suit. The cynics may note that the 4-day week is being aimed at civil servants. But there’s compelling evidence that transitioning to a shorter workweek can result in numerous benefits for employers and the nation.
The background
Many employees in Scotland already work a 4-day week or less, and equally, many work more than a 5-day week.
French law limits most employment to 35 hours per week and OECD data shows their productivity levels are higher than those in the UK.
It is a fact that we cannot maintain the same work pace throughout a long day. The 80:20 rule means if you work 5 hours, then 80% of your day’s work is accomplished in 1 hour! You may like to think whether that applies to you.
We can spend much of our working hours on socialising, unproductive meetings, and fielding interruptions to our time. Improving our time management may enable us to work fewer hours for the same output.
The optimal working hours for men age over 40 are 25 to 30 hours per week, according to a study by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research. For women it is 22 to 27 hours. Thereafter our ability to focus goes downhill.
Businesses across sectors in the UK are starting to experiment with 4-day workweeks and are reporting positive outcomes. The key question is how to monitor productivity, value added per hour of employment, for example. Drawing together work measurement from the office or shop floor with systems of measurement from the accounts was one of my earlier career challenges.
Your health and that of your employees
A study from California suggests putting in more than 40 hours a week raises the risk of high blood pressure by 17%. High blood pressure is behind many health scares: heart attacks, strokes, aneurysms, cognitive decline, etc.
Overwork and burnout are rising concerns in many workplaces. In 2021/22 over 35 million working days were lost due to work-related ill health, nearly a third due to stress, depression, or anxiety.
A shorter workweek can contribute significantly to better mental health, as it provides you with more time for rest and activities that enhance well-being and creativity. It can lead to a more engaged, motivated, and productive workforce.
Talent acquisition and retention
A shorter workweek can serve as a unique selling proposition for attracting top talent. Adopting and promoting a progressive work culture that includes a shorter workweek can set you apart from the competition.
Environmental Benefits
With the UK’s commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, companies have an additional incentive to adopt more sustainable practices. Shorter working weeks mean less commuting and hence less pollution and less fossil fuel consumption, less office or workplace heating (potentially) and a contribution to corporate social responsibility.
Competitive advantage
In leading the transition there may be competitive advantage over other organisations who could be slower off the mark.
Paying employees
While most people would find working fewer hours desirable, they are not willing to take a pay cut to achieve this. But over half the Scottish employers surveyed by the CIPD feel they are unlikely to move to a 4-day week without reducing pay.
Making changes to the existing contract requires consultation. While the change to a 4-day week may, in theory, ultimately be forced on employees it is hardly a good start to realising the benefits above. Involving an experienced outside party, such as Employer Solutions in the consultation process can be beneficial.
Operational processes
What may work for Scottish civil servants may not work on a building site. Implementing a 4-day week in many sectors will require operational changes that could in turn impact on employees. Again, consultation is the watchword and involving an experienced outside party in the consultation process can be beneficial.
The process
Our team at Employer Solutions can assist you with a thorough consultation process and expertly navigate you through the complex contractual aspects of change. We have in-depth experience in tackling HR challenges, ensuring your business needs are met with appropriate precision and care.
The future
The trend towards a 4-day week is likely to vary from sector to sector and bound to be influenced by the availability of labour in some of those sectors. Whether the fact that Scotland is planning a 4-day week means they are ahead of the game remains to be seen.
Malcolm Martin FCIPD
Author Human Resource Practice
Blogs are for general guidance and are not an authoritative statement of the law.