Page 27 - PWM2024_MARCH EBOOK

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

view, the four-day working week was, some employees”. He explains that in circumstances where hours As Dosanjh says, “businesses must
perhaps, an obvious next step. have been proportionately reduced, “employers may still see consider the current employment terms
And that step was tested over a six- resistance from some employees who do not wish to reduce to a of their employees and remain mindful
month period from June to December four-day week. This may be due to concerns regarding workloads throughout of the need for employee
2022 in a trial that was organised by on the remaining four-day weeks, or other personal considera- consent – in writing – to any amend-
campaigning group 4 Day Week Global. tions”. ments to them”. He continues by noting
Of the 61 participating companies, 56 And then there’s the need for employers to give sufficient con- that employers need to think about busi-
decided to continue with their four-day sideration to the continuity of their business, including the ability ness requirements and how they may
impact upon the amendments made;
working week for the time being, includ- to provide an acceptable service level throughout reduced staffing whether the business requires cover
ing 18 that made the change permanent. on one or more days of the week. As Dosanjh points out: “It may throughout the week, or whether the
not, for example, be acceptable for some businesses to close whole business will be closed for one
For and against entirely for an additional day of the week or operate on reduced additional day per week.
So, why, given the status quo, should staff on a rota basis.” Beyond that is the fact that some
employers consider moving to a four-day employers may wish to remove or
working week? In answer, Kash Making the move reduce certain benefits to reflect the
Dosanjh, an associate in the employ- So, where an employer is considering moving to a four-day reduction in working hours. However,
ment law team at Wright Hassall, cites working week, what practical and legal issues should they be Gordon points out that even a broadly
findings from the UK’s four-day week thinking about? positive change to employment terms
pilot that “some of the most extensive The first issue that Gordon says must be reconciled is the type of can still amount to a breach of contract.
benefits of shorter working hours were four-day working week that is to be adopted. On this she com- So, as with any substantive change, it
found in employees’ well-being. ‘Before ments that “it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that a four-day makes sense to Gordon to trial a four-day
and after’ data shows that 39% of working week simply means ‘Fridays off’. But that policy won’t working week to begin with to ensure
employees were less stressed, and 71% suit every industry, departmental structure, company culture, and that it works for the business and work-
force. And Dosanjh thinks the same,
had reduced levels of burnout at the end so on”. adding that “if a trial is to be conducted,
Fitting a quart into a pint pot fatigue and sleep issues decreased, while ity and any amendments to targets or similar should be explained its parameters and duration should be
of the trial. Likewise, levels of anxiety,
Dosanjh makes clear that expectations in relation to productiv-
considered and communicated to
clearly from the outset in order to manage the expectations of the
mental and physical health both
employees from the outset”.
improved”.
Indeed, Gordon sees serious risk in a
what is expected of employees following the changes whilst ensur-
Gordon too points to a wide range of employees involved. “This should minimise concerns relating to poorly run trial and potential for “an
benefits such as improved staff health ing that business continuity is protected.” employee relations disaster should the
and wellbeing, no loss in pro- ductivity – employer decide to move back to a five-
or even an increase in productivity – sig- But as for the various options, Gordon details three: day model at the end of the trial period”.
nificantly improved staff retention rates, A ‘staggered’ model where everyone works four days a week, This is why she says that the employer
the ability to attract the best talent, but staff take their new day off on different days each week, mak- should set out clear, transparent, meas-
lower rates of sickness absence, the pro- ing sure the company is still operative over the usual five working urable and appropriate objectives that
motion of equality – as women and days. will need to be met to justify keeping the
those with care responsibilities are more A ‘decentralised’ model. In larger organisations, it may be more model. Fundamentally, she says that
care should be taken not to tie the busi-
likely to remain in full-time employ- appropriate to devolve the decision to department heads, who ness into making the four-day working
ment, and a reduction in the carbon decide what works best for their team. But the company will have week a permanent fixture, even if the
footprint of the workforce and business. to make sure it’s able to justify differences, as departments seen to objectives are met.
She quotes other benefits from the have more flexible policies are likely to create friction. Another concern will be overtime
trial support: “Participating companies An ‘annualised’ model where staff work an average number of arrangements and how the shift to a
were satisfied with productivity and hours a week equivalent to four working days a week, annualised four-day working week affects staff.
business performance; sick days fell by across the year. This is likely more appropriate for seasonal busi- “Thought,” says Gordon, “needs to be
about two-thirds; and 57% fewer staff nesses with peaks and troughs in workload throughout the year. applied to covering the risk of employees
left the companies taking part, com- And to this list Dosanjh adds what Gordon alluded to earlier: essentially just working their previous
pared with the same period a year ear- extending working days for the four-day week, effectively ensur- ‘fifth’ working day through overtime,
lier.” ing that employees work the same or similar hours to those which could be more costly.” She says
But it’s not all a bed of roses. Dosanjh worked during a five-day week, but over the course of four days. that depending on the organisation’s
points out that critics of the four-day business model, if employees regularly
week have “voiced concerns that where Contracts and detail receive overtime, the move to a four-day
weekly working hours are not reduced While it may seem that most employees would surely leap at a working week may not be appropriate.
proportionally to match the four-day move to a four-day week, not all will want to change. This means Then there’s the matter of part-time
working week and the requirement to that the employment contract is central to the move and in par- employees and how the four-day week
work longer days may increase stress for ticular, whether it allows for a change to a four-day working week. interacts with them.

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