The future of work

[SalesServiceGuy]

The case for the four-day workweek


It’s now well recognized how difficult the pandemic has been for workers.

A Conference Board survey of workers from September 2021 found that more than three-quarters of US respondents reported stress and burnout as big challenges to being at work, versus 55% six months earlier.

And working hours have risen higher during the pandemic than they have in years, likely due to the hot economy. So it’s not surprising that a record number of workers are quitting their jobs in search of more flexible opportunities.

While some employers are throwing their hands up in despair, a growing number have begun experimenting with reducing work time to give their employees a break. They’re offering a four-day week, of 32 hours, without any reductions in pay. As a researcher and a labor specialist, we know shorter weeks can be a major contributor to making employees happier and more productive, and therefore businesses more profitable. In today’s tight labor market, it only makes sense for more companies to give it a try.

Improved well-being

To be clear, the four-day week predates the pandemic. A small number of companies around the world had begun to implement the concept as early as 2010, with good results, but it was largely anecdotal evidence.

More recently, other forms of reduced work time have been studied systematically. In Iceland, beginning in 2015, 2,500 public sector workers started working 35- and 36-hour weeks with no change in pay. Careful research found positive effects all around. Workers had less stress, more energy, better work-life balance, as well as steady or improved productivity.

Swedish studies of six-hour days for nurses saw similarly positive impacts, with their own well-being significantly improved, albeit with a modest increase in salary costs due to hiring more staff to cover shifts. A common finding is that people who work four-day weeks sleep more — which is a major contributor to well-being.

Better company performance

The best known company for embracing four-day weeks is New Zealand’s Perpetual Guardian, whose founder, Andrew Barnes, offered employees in 2018 the ability to work 30 hours per week with the same salary, with a pledge that they would maintain the same productivity.

Also co-founder of 4 Day Week Global, Barnes commissioned an independent academic study before the eight-week trial, and found big improvements in employee well-being and company performance/revenue.

He has since spearheaded the move to the four-day week, helping us organize trials which both support and study how shorter workweeks impact companies, with the participation of more than 150 companies and more than 7,500 employees around the world. So far, reports are very positive in terms of both company performance and employee well-being.

Our first group of companies hasn’t finished the six-month trial, but midpoint results show significant improvements in stress and burnout, physical and mental health, and life satisfaction.

As companies attempt to stem the tide of resignations and solve the problem of unfilled positions, offering shorter workweeks makes even more sense. Adam Husney, CEO of Healthwise, a non-profit education provider located in Boise, Idaho, credited high attrition rates in June 2021 with his decision to institute a four-day week two months later, which he said greatly improved employee retention.

He also noted that remote work created the trust that’s necessary to make shorter workweeks successful. He said he’s confident that his employees are still doing all their work, and he’s got the performance numbers to back it up.

Stronger retention

There’s an increasingly compelling economic case for shorter hours. Employee burnout and stress are the prime motivators for some companies in their decisions to test four-day workweeks. After all, maintaining 100% of productivity may not be so crucial if the company can save on health care costs, resignations and talent attraction.

There’s also a vital role for governments to help fuel this movement with incentives, regulations and legislation. A growing number of governments are indeed starting their own trials of reduced working hours, or encouraging companies to do so.

Momentum for the four-day work week is building around the world. The future of work is less time spent at work. And it has arrived.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Canadian employers willing to hire workers without direct experience, survey says


A new study shows Canadian employers are willing to hire workers without experience related to the job due to a tight labour market.

The research released today indicates that experience and education — once crucial to many positions — are becoming less important amid labour shortages.

The findings are based on an online survey of 1,000 employers across Canada conducted in May by Censuswide on behalf of Indeed, an employment website for job listings.
The survey found 77 per cent of Canadian employers see value in hiring a candidate based on their "soft" interpersonal skills and attitude toward learning rather than job-related knowledge and "hard" skills.

It also found four out of five employers say their company would consider hiring applicants who don't possess a degree or certification related to the job and would instead offer on-the-job training to new workers.

The poll suggests employers are also willing to sacrifice the need for relevant experience in light of the challenges finding candidates.

"We are quite honestly facing one of the tightest labour markets we've ever had," said Michelle Slater, director at Indeed. "There is a definite labour shortage."

Canada's unemployment rate fell to 5.1 per cent in May, Statistics Canada reported earlier this month.

It's the lowest rate since at least 1976, which is as far back as comparable data goes.
The tightening labour market is being driven by a robust pandemic recovery and changing demographics.

"An aging population and rapidly growing economy has meant the pool of skilled workers that's available is pretty low," Slater said. "Employers are having to be much more creative."
The survey of Canadian employers was conducted to find out what employers are doing differently to fill some of the labour gaps, she said.

The poll found employers are increasingly willing to hire based on skills such as communication, adaptability and attention to detail — rather than so-called hard skills such as technical knowledge or training.

"Canadian employers care more deeply about what the person can contribute to the team in terms of their attitudes versus what skills they have that they're bringing into the role," Slater said.

The findings are positive not just for young people out of school or starting their first job, but also for older workers switching careers, she said.

"It means that individuals who might not have that hard skill on their resume could still have an opportunity to get the job of the dreams."

While labour shortages are impacting all industries, the research found the hardest jobs to find candidates for required digital and information technology skills, project management, engineering, software development and coding skills.

The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population

[SalesServiceGuy]

A return to the office

Friday’s jobs report showed that the share of workers telecommuting or working from home because of the pandemic ticked lower — falling to just 5.2% in September from 6.5% in August.

Fully remote work in the United States, which many predicted would remain the norm long after the pandemic, appears to be edging away, especially as the job market loosens for white collar workers and employees have less leverage.

Last week, a KPMG survey of US-based CEOs found that two-thirds believed in-office work would be the norm within the next three years.

Still, it may not be enough to help an ailing commercial real estate market, where the outlook is dire. New York City office properties declined by nearly 45% in value in 2020 and are forecast to remain 39% below their pre-pandemic levels long-term as hybrid policies continue, according to a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

[BillyCarpenter]

I told you that working from home wasn't gonna last. That's crazy talk. You need to be able to keep an eye on employees. Working from home there's just too much chance for goofing off.

[slimslob]

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[tsbservice]

Now we have a Russian spammer.

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[slimslob]

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And at least one other post and the way Tbilisi is typed is Russian.

[tsbservice]

And at least one other post and the way Tbilisi is typed is Russian.

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[SalesServiceGuy]

81% of full-time workers want a 4-day work week – and they’re willing to make sacrifices to get it

• Workers want flexible schedules – and a four-day work week is at the top of their wish list.
• More than half of those who want a shorter week would be willing to work longer days to get it.

When it comes to schedules, workers want flexibility. And a four-day work week is at the top of their wish lists, according to a new survey from Bankrate.
A majority of full-time workers and job seekers — 81% — support a four-day work week versus a traditional five-day schedule.


Of those workers, 89% said they would be willing to make sacrifices to work just four days.
More than half — 54% — would be willing to work longer hours, and more than a third — 37% — would be willing to change jobs or industries. Meanwhile, more than a quarter — 27% — said they would be willing to come to their office or job location more days or work fully in person.

Other sacrifices they would be willing to make: working off-peak hours, with 23%; working a job they’re less interested in or passionate about, 17%; have fewer vacation days, 16%; have a longer commute, 12%; take a pay cut, 10%; or take a step back in their careers, 10%.
Just 11% of workers who want a four-day work week said they would not be willing to accept any of those tradeoffs.

The results of the July survey, which included 2,367 adults, shows that employees hope Covid-era work schedules will continue to be the norm.

“For better and for worse, we’ve learned a lot of lessons over these past several years, and one of those is how the nature of work has changed,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.

Demand for remote work outstrips supply

Most full-time workers or those looking for work — 89% — said they support a four-day work week, remote work or hybrid work.
Yet some data has pointed to the demand for remote work outpacing the actual number of job postings that list it as an option, Hamrick noted.
“Just because people want this flexibility doesn’t mean that it’s going to be readily available,” Hamrick said.

Hybrid has become the norm now.
Julia Pollack
CHIEF ECONOMIST AT ZIPRECRUITER

ZipRecruiter’s data shows 10.5% of job postings so far this year have been either remote or hybrid, down from a peak of 13.7% in 2022.
Postings for remote jobs have plateaued in most industries, according to the employment website. The exception is continuing growth for consulting or science roles.
But just because job postings with remote work are down, doesn’t mean it’s also down in the actual share of days worked, according to Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter.

“Hybrid has become the norm now,” Pollak said.

Employers who offer remote work benefit when it comes to recruitment and retention.
Employers that have been able to offer flexible schedules to workers may continue to do so even if the labor market continues to cool, Hamrick said

[BillyCarpenter]

81% of full-time workers want a 4-day work week – and they’re willing to make sacrifices to get it

• Workers want flexible schedules – and a four-day work week is at the top of their wish list.
• More than half of those who want a shorter week would be willing to work longer days to get it.

When it comes to schedules, workers want flexibility. And a four-day work week is at the top of their wish lists, according to a new survey from Bankrate.
A majority of full-time workers and job seekers — 81% — support a four-day work week versus a traditional five-day schedule.


Of those workers, 89% said they would be willing to make sacrifices to work just four days.
More than half — 54% — would be willing to work longer hours, and more than a third — 37% — would be willing to change jobs or industries. Meanwhile, more than a quarter — 27% — said they would be willing to come to their office or job location more days or work fully in person.

Other sacrifices they would be willing to make: working off-peak hours, with 23%; working a job they’re less interested in or passionate about, 17%; have fewer vacation days, 16%; have a longer commute, 12%; take a pay cut, 10%; or take a step back in their careers, 10%.
Just 11% of workers who want a four-day work week said they would not be willing to accept any of those tradeoffs.

The results of the July survey, which included 2,367 adults, shows that employees hope Covid-era work schedules will continue to be the norm.

“For better and for worse, we’ve learned a lot of lessons over these past several years, and one of those is how the nature of work has changed,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.

Demand for remote work outstrips supply

Most full-time workers or those looking for work — 89% — said they support a four-day work week, remote work or hybrid work.
Yet some data has pointed to the demand for remote work outpacing the actual number of job postings that list it as an option, Hamrick noted.
“Just because people want this flexibility doesn’t mean that it’s going to be readily available,” Hamrick said.

Hybrid has become the norm now.
Julia Pollack
CHIEF ECONOMIST AT ZIPRECRUITER

ZipRecruiter’s data shows 10.5% of job postings so far this year have been either remote or hybrid, down from a peak of 13.7% in 2022.
Postings for remote jobs have plateaued in most industries, according to the employment website. The exception is continuing growth for consulting or science roles.
But just because job postings with remote work are down, doesn’t mean it’s also down in the actual share of days worked, according to Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter.

“Hybrid has become the norm now,” Pollak said.

Employers who offer remote work benefit when it comes to recruitment and retention.
Employers that have been able to offer flexible schedules to workers may continue to do so even if the labor market continues to cool, Hamrick said

I would never hire these people.