The 4-day week: why implement it within your company?

Between teleworking, 100% remote working or even flex office and coworking, French employees have new expectations since the pandemic. 64% of them would now be ready to switch to a 4-day week According to the survey “People at Work 2022" led by ADP.

Indeed, some companies pass the 4-day week, but each on its own terms. So, some people choose to Extend the days while others prefer reduce working hours, and therefore the associated salary.

We have deciphered the four-day week for you and its advantages, perceived or real, within the companies that practice it.

The 4-day week, but under what conditions?

France is struggling to adopt the 4-day week. The country is even lagging behind its neighbours such as Belgium, Germany and Spain.

According to the ADP survey, only 5% of French businesses have adopted the four-day week.

As for the modalities for switching to a 4-day week, each company sets them according to its needs and desires. IAt the moment there is no established “rule”.

It will be possible to reduce working time, going from a week of 35 hours to 32 hours. A second option is to maintain the same hourly volume by extending the number of days worked.

When it comes to salary, there are two schools: companies that reduce their wages and those that refuse to do so.

Thus, employees at Desigual's headquarters in Spain have increased to 4 working days per week. This development was accompanied by a wage drop of 6.5%. ‍

Yprema is a pioneer company in the 4-day week. Since 1997, it has offered its employees the opportunity to go from 39 hours of work for 5 days to 35 hours over 4 days. No pay reduction.

The advantages of the 4-day week for employees

The first benefit: well-being

The 4-day week allows you to devote more time to personal activities. Indeed, by benefiting from an additional day of break outside the weekend, numerous opportunities open up for employees. Avoid crowds at errands or medical appointments, get more rest, etc.

It is also important for parents who want to spend more time with their children, ‍

Indeed, the 4-day week would appeal to 69% of parents, again according to the ADP survey.

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An additional day off per week results in stress reduction. By giving everyone more time, This day in addition has a positive impact on well-being collaborators.

The ‍: The 4-day week optimizes working time

With the 4-day week, It is necessary to rethink working time, meetings, breaks, etc. ‍

During a typical week, shorter days can lead to more dispersion and procrastination. By working only 4 days, it becomes essential to optimize your time.

Here are some tips to better optimize your working time:

reduce the length of meetings
prepare your day with a “to-do”
improve internal communication processes

The benefits of the 4-day week for businesses

An increase in productivity

The advantage of the 4-day week is to allow employees to Work more peacefully without excessive stress or mental load.

Indeed, by being aware of having one less working day, employees are more focused on their tasks and missions. They waste less time in extended meetings and focus on what matters most.

“Concretely, employees self-regulate. We take fewer breaks, we are more focused on the result, so productivity increases. And Friday is a day off for everyone. A real principle of equality”, explains Olivier Sâles, CEO of Love Radius.

A lever of attractiveness

Almost one in four employees (22%) changed jobs in the last two years. 23% of those who did not take the plunge are actively looking for a new opportunity for 2022, according to a study byOwl Labs. ‍

Thus, the “Great Resignation”, the “War for Talent” and the new expectations of employees have undermined the attractiveness of some companies.

The most attractive employee benefit for a potential job is a 4-day week for 39% of employees, according to Owl Labs.

The 4-day week therefore seems to be an attractive factor for many employees. ‍

“I have been feeling short of breath since June. Until then, we had no problem hiring thanks to triple-digit growth and a daring image.” Nizar Alachbili, director of the Tenor Group, notes that the 4-day week is also an ecological argument for young candidates.

The benefits of the 4-day week for the environment

Not working one day in the week results in reduction of ecological costs associated with trips between home and work. ‍

In fact, transport contributes to 31% of French greenhouse gas emissions. It is the most polluting activity, according to the CITEPA Secten report. ‍

The “Stop the Clock” report, produced by the British association Platform, indicates that the 4-day week would reduce the country's carbon footprint by 21.3%. That's equivalent to the impact of the country's car fleet.

It goes without saying that the generalization of the 4-day week would have a very positive impact on the environment.

m-work and work organization

M-Work is a tool that facilitates the flexibility of work for employees, managers and HR teams. m-work makes it possible in particular to manage the four-day week thanks to the choice of days worked.

With the m-work app, teams can easily get organized and get together. Even at a laggered pace, they can plan meetings or simply To find each other during a moment of conviviality.

Are you interested in the subject? Try m-work now!‍