Q. "Is a four-day work week really beneficial?"
Answer:
Yes! The four-day work week is becoming more popular since the pandemic. Employees want more flexibility and work/life balance. A 6 month trial with 70 companies in the UK has had extremely positive results for both employer and employee! (Read more about their findings here.)
Here are the top benefits of a four-day week:
Increases employee retention and productivity
Happier and more well-rested staff yields better ministry capacity
Retains high-performing team members
Appeals to potential future staff members
Want to make the switch? Here are four ways to set your team up for success as you do:
Take time to discover what works and what doesn't for your team culture, capture it clearly, update your Staff Handbook with the finalized policies and communicate them to your staff.
Think outside the box when it comes to hours. Figure out ways to reduce the number of hours employees work or increase their shift duration. Make sure you redistribute time off, as needed, to still meet client needs.
Increase efficiency by reviewing and updating your systems. Automate anything you can and streamline processes.
Expect to recruit more volunteer help or even hire more staff to better distribute the workload. Sure this may cost you more, but these benefits provide significantly more returns in productivity and staff culture!