The past few years have also seen a notable shift in work attitudes, helped in large part by the pandemic.<\/p>\n
As the world went into lockdown, employers were forced to reconsider the workplace in a new and innovative way and even to this day, are still struggling to get workers back in the office.<\/p>\n
With a much greater focus now placed on flexibility and work-life balance, such a shift in values has not only led to remote working requirements but calls for additional supports including universal basic income and reduced working weeks.<\/p>\n
International non-profit advocacy group, 4 Day Week Global, emerged in recent years, an organisation dedicated to revolutionising the world of work. It led many of the successful trials.<\/p>\n
Work-life balance<\/strong><\/p>\n Their former CEO is Irishman Joe O\u2019Connor, who throughout his adult life has been motivated by ensuring better work-life balances for employees across the world.<\/p>\n A native of Kilmore in Co Roscommon, Mr O\u2019Connor started his career working across various unions in Ireland, before landing the top job at 4 Day Week Global and relocating to New York.<\/p>\n Today, he is the CEO of Work Time Reduction, an organisation he co-founded with UK consultancy firm Curium Solutions, that designs and implements shorter work-week trials for companies eager to explore the benefits of more flexible working hours.<\/p>\n Moving on from 4 Day Week Global, Mr O\u2019Connor and his team \u2014 which also includes his partner and chief operating officer, Grace Tallon \u2014 say they have stepped away from just advocacy and now work with firms directly to support their transition to reduced hours.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I do now is far more personalised and tailored to individual companies,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n \u201cWe look at the specific needs of the firms we work with, and implement a strategy that suits them most efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking on its uptake, he said interest among firms across multiple industries was \u201cundoubtedly apparent.\u201d In just one year since its launch, the organisation had 53 companies engage with Work Time Reduction\u2019s diagnostic process and formed 13 new strategic partnerships.<\/p>\n Now working in Toronto, Mr O\u2019Connor notes reduced working hours do not necessarily mean four eight-hour shifts a week, adding different structures will suit contrasting industries and that reduced hours can come with much flexibility.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of us already work four-day weeks in some way and without even noticing. If you include unnecessary meetings, inefficient technology, workplace distractions and several other issues, how much time are we left really with?\u201d<\/p>\n This is a productivity initiative as much as anything else, and the studies increasingly show that a 32-hour week leads to increased output and efficiency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In last year\u2019s pivotal study of British firms, at least 56 out of the 61 that took part said they planned to continue with the four-day working week, while 18 firms confirmed the policy had become a permanent change.<\/p>\n Just three companies said they paused the four-day working week in their organisation for the time being. These results were also achieved with no change or reduction in employee salaries.<\/p>\n Reduction in stress<\/strong><\/p>\n The findings also revealed a major reduction in stress and illness rates among the almost 3,000 staff involved in the trial. In addition, around 39% of employees said they were less stressed compared with the start of the trial, while the number of sick days taken during the trial dropped by about two-thirds.<\/p>\n The report also noted people were much more likely to stay in their jobs, despite the trial taking place amid the “great resignation” period where workers had been quitting at record rates in search of greater flexibility.<\/p>\n The trial also saw a 57% drop in staff leaving the participating companies compared with the same period the previous year, with levels of anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and burnout decreasing substantially, while more staff reported balancing care responsibilities had become easier.<\/p>\n The results even found company revenue increased slightly over the trial period.<\/p>\n Similarly, Ireland’s first-ever trial of a four-day working week was described as “a resounding success” in late 2022, with all 12 companies involved choosing to continue it into the future.<\/p>\n Like the UK, Irish employees were almost universal in their praise of the trial, reporting reduced stress, burnout, and fatigue while also being able to sleep more and spend more time on hobbies.<\/p>\n![\"Irishman](\"https:\/\/www.irishexaminer.com\/cms_media\/module_img\/7879\/3939655_9_articleinline_800x-1.jpg\" "\\"Irishman")
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