A New Zealand company is trialling four-day working weeks for its staff, while still paying them for five.
Trustee company Perpetual Guardian started the six-week long experiment in March this year to trial if the shorter work week was beneficial to both the company and its employees.
CEO Andrew Barnes said the experiment had potential implications for everything from work/life balance to the gender pay gap and the mental well-being of workers.
New Zealand Perpetual Guardian (pictured) company is trialling four-day working weeks for its staff, while still paying them for five
He said this could motivate employees to produce better work in a shorter time period.
At the end of the six-week experiment he said data would be analysed by academics to see if the trial was beneficial to the company, and its employees, The Guardian reported.
If successful, the company said the four-day week would be implemented indefinitely.
Mr Barnes said employees’ reactions to the experiment varied.
‘People were really positive going in, then a bit negative, then positive again,’ he told.
CEO Andrew Barnes said the experiment had potential implications for everything from work/life balance to the gender pay gap and the mental well-being of workers
Head of People and Capability at the company, Christine Brotherton (right), said employees (left) had to ensure they achieved the same amount of work in four days as they would five, or the trial would be unsuccessful
He said employees put a lot of pressure on themselves to make the experiment work.
‘People are telling me: we have to make this work for New Zealand,’ he said.
Head of People and Capability at the company, Christine Brotherton, said employees had to ensure they achieved the same amount of work in four days as they would five, or the trial would be unsuccessful.
‘Some people haven’t quite realised that if we have three days off, the four at the office have to be very productive, and we need to address that,’ she said.
But she said the majority of the workforce was working hard to ensure the trial was continued.
But she said the majority of the workforce (employee pictured) was working hard to ensure the trial was continued
Ms Brotherton said employees were arriving to work after a three-day week with more focus and motivation to work hard.
She said it gave people the time to do more ‘life administration’ which led to better efficiency during work hours.
Employee Joanna said the change gave her some much needed balance.
‘A four day work week means I get a day for my family, a day for my friends and a day of mindful rest for myself,’ she said.
‘After all, these are the three most important pillars of life.’