There's been lots of articles in the news recently about businesses switching from a 5 day working week to a 4 day working week, for the same annual salary and I for one love the idea!
Being a recruiter, the number 1 question I get asked by candidates when applying for a job is always around flexible working and the sad truth is that not a lot of businesses offer it. The world around us is constantly changing - there's a huge stigma around work-life balance and I think the 4 day working week could help solve all those problems.
By the time you get home on a Friday night, had your dinner and sorted out the kids (or pets) it's already time for bed. You wake up on Saturday with things still buzzing around in your head from a manic week. You start thinking of the things you forgot to pick up on and ask yourself - shall I log on to check emails or make that one call you forgot to do? By the time a manic Saturday is over Sunday is upon us and let's face it, all we do on a Sunday is spend the day thinking about a list of things to do back at work come Monday!
Where was the time to fully switch off and enjoy yourself? Did you make it to the gym? Did you go shopping for the bits you needed? Did you see the friends you've promised to see for weeks? Probably not, because you spent the weekend doing the tasks you set yourself last weekend.
And is it just me or do they go too quickly?
I love my job, but with 1 day extra at the weekend, I feel like we would all fully relax, recharge and get that real work-life balance we all crave so much. Businesses worry that 4 day working week's mean that employee's will work at a lower pace and less work will be done resulting in business revenue loss. Personally, I don't think this is the case, if anything I think a 4 day working week would make us work harder and have the energy to do so!
What are your thoughts?
Growing calls for a shorter working week are being opposed by the Confederation of British Industry on the basis that more flexibility, not less, is needed.
Read the original article here