The pros and cons of the four-day working week in Ireland

The concept of a four-day working week has gained popularity in recent years, and for good reason. The traditional five-day work week has been in place for decades, but many people believe it's time for a change. This shift has been supported by various trials conducted in different countries, including Ireland, and it’s making the companies taking it up much more attractive for potential employees.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated changes in the way we work, including a shift towards remote work and more flexible working arrangements. As we emerge from the pandemic, there is plenty of opportunity to rethink the traditional working week and embrace more innovative working patterns. Many companies are already offering more flexible working arrangements in response to the pandemic, and this idea of the four-day work week could be the next step.

There are several immediate benefits to the four-day work week. Most straightforwardly, it can improve work-life balance, leading to increased job satisfaction and better mental health. A shorter work week can also lead to increased productivity, as employees have more time to rest and recharge. It can also lead to cost savings, as companies may be able to reduce their office space, utility bills, and other overheads.

Almost all organisations that have implemented the four-day working week have reported immediate positive results (Silicon Republic says that fully 100% of employees indicated that they preferred a reduced work schedule). Employees report feeling more energised and productive, with more time to focus on personal activities and interests. Employers have reported reduced absenteeism and higher staff retention rates, as well as increased productivity and job satisfaction.

Implementing a four-day work week requires planning and consideration. Companies must ensure that the workload is distributed evenly across the four days and that employees have the resources they need to work efficiently. Communication is also key, as employees must be aware of their responsibilities and deadlines. It's important to have clear guidelines around working hours and availability, particularly if employees are working from home.

Several of Savvi Recruitment’s client companies have been trialling four-day weeks, with considerable success. Therese Cadell observes that one of her clients, an employee-focused and family-friendly company, is having a good experience. “It's early days, but it appears to be going well,” she said. “The model they're using is that people are still working a forty-hour week, but over four longer days rather than five. The business is not shutting up shop, on any particular day, though - this model uses staggered working hours. So they always have five-day cover for phones and clients, but each staff member is working four days out of five.”

Lisa Scollan’s is aware of a company that has been enthusiastic enough about the four day week to go on radio about it. Cavan and Longford-based KBG Accountants have been trialling it for some months, and have “nothing but good things to say about it”. Lisa continued “The way they’re implementing it is that staff are off either on a Monday or a Friday, and they each do four eight-and-a-half hour days through the rest of the week. Mark Reilly, one of the senior partners, says that their productivity has gone up, morale has gone up, and retention of staff is absolutely excellent.” They’ve published some of the results on their website.

Obviously, there are practicalities to be considered, such as the phone coverage mentioned above, and for customer-facing staff, care needs to be taken around scheduling meetings and deadlines. If companies are using the model with four ten-hour days, then there may need to be adjustments to building opening times, the presence of key-holders, and the timing of security and cleaning staff. It does appear, though, from the experiences of Savvi Recruitment’s clients who are trialling it, that these considerations don’t present much of an obstacle.

One of the most notable outcomes of the four-day week, as noted by KBG Accountants, is employee retention. Lisa notes “the way Mark Reilly put it is that if staff go to leave for somewhere else they're ultimately going to have to work a five-day week, which would be a big change for them.” The benefits of the four day week are clear enough to employees that very few would be willing to leave it behind. Savvi Recruitment’s John Ennis observes that this gives early movers a very attractive offering, “if you're presenting a four day working week as a key feature to the candidate market, which is notoriously competitive at the moment, it gives a definite competitive advantage in the market.”

Not all sectors will be able to take up the four-day week. Therese notes that healthcare and hospitality companies, which don’t really have a five-day week, will not be able to make much use of the four-day model. Even in these industries, though, the staggered approach wherein any given staff member only does four days, while maintaining full coverage, might be applied. And indeed, there are arguments that it could be a step toward resolving a crisis in retention in the healthcare sector.