Each time you decide to take Friday off or when a holiday falls on a Monday, do you tell yourself when you go back to work that really, weekends should always be three days? Why not start this way of working? It has many benefits, both for you and for your employer.
1. Good for health
Is work bad for your health? To some extent! It has been proved that after 40 years of age, working more than 30 hours a week is not only counter-productive but bad for health, reducing intellectual capacity and memory. Besides, it’s easier to completely disconnect in three days than two, which helps reduce stress. And of course, by being well organized, only working four days a week has a beneficial effect on private life, with more time for leisure, family, friends and various projects outside the office.
2. An arrangement to personalize
Are you wondering how to do it? Three main formulas are possible and can be adjusted depending on your situation. You could simply opt for part time work, specifying that you would like to have your Mondays or Fridays off. Or you can choose to work only four days a week for the same salary… But longer hours. The days may seem long after 10 hours in your workplace, but think of the reward of these three days to relax! Finally, there is another possibility: alternating, working four days one week and six the next, for example.
3. How to convince your boss
Convincing your boss can be complicated, especially if you hold a position with responsibilities which require you to be very much present, but it is not impossible. Explain to him that you will not lose any productivity, rather the opposite – it is good recognition accorded and you will work even harder even if you are there less. For jobs where someone must be there seven days a week, it may even make it easier for him to let you work four days a week and someone else be there the remaining three days.
4. Increased productivity
Some businesses in Sweden and the Netherlands already offer this possibility to their employees and do not regret it. Since it increases loyalty and helps health, the initiative is rewarded by an increase in productivity, fewer sick days, a better workplace atmosphere and employees who boast about their company with their knowledge and make others of the best want to come there to work. If you are still not convinced, you can always try the alternative: remote working at least one day a week, which already helps reduce stress and time lost to commuting.