Weekends go by so fast. Most of us wish we could have longer weekends and shorter workdays.
The concept of a four-day work week is a growing interest in countries across the world, including South Africa.
IQbusiness, a South African management and technology consulting firm, said it was one of the first businesses in the country participating in a “4-Day Week pilot”.
In a four-day work week, employees put in the same number of hours but work one fewer day overall. They continue to receive their complete pay and benefits.
The eight-hour day and forty-hour week have been standard for decades and proposals for reduction of hours are centred mainly on two issues: work fatigue and efficiency.
According to a Deloitte report titled Women @ Work, 22.51% of South African women believe they are more stressed out now than they were in the past, and 40% of them feel burnt out.
In today's performance-driven culture, finding the right work-life balance is crucial for your personal and professional well-being, Prof Renata Schoeman, the head of Healthcare Leadership at Stellenbosch Business School, told IOL Lifestyle.
Despite shifting work arrangements, the question remains: How much time should be dedicated to working?
Jobs are becoming more demanding. When people are stressed they tend to choose destructive and less sustainable habits that, ultimately, put their lives at risk.
Symptoms include lack of energy for simple tasks, mood swings, less productivity, and stress. If not well managed, stress can cause secondary illnesses like obesity, depression and heart disease.
While the 80/20 rule suggests that working smarter leads to greater productivity, it is important to remember that a four-day work week can pose challenges when it comes to work-life balance, even though research indicates that productivity from the employee's viewpoint has increased.
The four-day work week can improve an employer’s mood, relationships with family and friends, and aid sleep.
Not everyone works at the same pace, so an individualised approach needs to be carefully considered. Some people work a little more slowly naturally than others or are more particular about how a task is completed.
Schoeman says these individuals' slower processing speeds can lead to increased stress for some workers when they are suddenly put under pressure to complete tasks on time. However, since there are so few people who are productive in an eight -hour workday, a shorter work week could increase productivity while giving people a chance to spend more time with their families and engage in activities that give them energy.
“The implementation must take place throughout the entire system; for instance, if you work four days a week as a parent but your nanny works five, or vice versa, those discrepancies can also cause issues and tension when people are more at home but lack the necessary support,” Schoeman says.
A four-day work week could ease some of the guilt, allowing people to spend more time with their families and friends, she says.
Additionally, Schoeman draws attention to the socio-economic context of our country, and how having a job can have significant advantages, despite other circumstances like living in severe poverty or being exposed to dangerous situations. This highlights the fact that not everyone has the luxury of working four days a week, highlighting the persistent disparities in our country.
Due to the pandemic's widespread effects, many people have developed mental health problems and experienced a blurring of their personal and professional lives.
The added flexibility and improved work-life balance provided by a four-day work week are by far the advantages that employees value the most.
Read the latest issue of IOL Health digital magazine here.