A FOUR-DAY work week has become a reality for some South Africans.
Employees of IQbusiness (a management and technology firm) in South Africa have been one of the first companies to adopt the four-day work week on a trial basis. There are about 90 companies globally that have adopted this approach, whereas countries such as Hong Kong and South Korea have six-day work weeks.
Some company resolutions indicate that the hours put in have to remain the same for a five-day work week, even though employees will work for four days of the week. For some employees, this means longer days at work, which will entail earlier starts to later end times.
The success of the four-day week of work is based on the concept that the benchmark of measure for productivity should be primarily based on outputs, quality and progression to meeting short-term and long-term goals.
Previously, the number of work hours was included in the varying productivity measures. It has been recently noted that the number of hours minimally impacts overall work outputs and related standards, such as quality, originality, innovation and accuracy.
Corporates and other organisations in South Africa are yet to investigate and determine their preference which will be influenced by the weekly, monthly and annual productivity targets and profit margins.
Employees are more than often pressured to meet productivity targets despite the hours of work that they put in. The ability to work remotely and with one’s flexibility proved to be successful during the Covid-19 lockdown periods for some employers and employees.
Women who worked remotely during this period were vocal about their increased stress levels. Post pandemic, reports still indicate that South African female employees tend to experience higher stress levels than their male colleagues, as it is a necessity for traditional nuclear families to be dependent on two incomes. High-stress levels are further exacerbated by the present economic instability and the rising costs of essential commodities and other necessities.
Many South African women are forced to continually multi-task despite occupying full-time positions in the formal economy. Women are managing their households and child-rearing responsibilities, their families' nutritional intake and food preparation simultaneously.
These responsibilities have unique additional pressures, which must be carefully managed alongside the duties of full-time employment. In some traditional patriarchal cultures, women have been socialised to adopt all these responsibilities with minimal or no support from their partners or spouses.
The widespread acceptance of dominant patriarchal lifeways within our societies makes it difficult for women to be vocal about such challenges. Effective multitasking has become a normative practice for many Indian South African women.
This lifeway is rarely challenged, and women are often applauded for successfully multitasking out of necessity and not always a choice, with little consideration for the emotional, psychological and physical impacts.
Despite the global drive towards gender equality, which aims to diminish roles assigned to women based on their gender, many women are still solely responsible for household and familial chores. It is prevalent for Indian South African women to also initiate and sustain religious and cultural practices in their homes. This, too, requires focus, time and energy so that families can participate regularly in the religious festivals and traditional celebrations.
Last week, Hindus in South Africa celebrated the annual festival of lights, known as Diwali. Central to this festival was the preparation of traditional sweets and meals and the hosting of friends and families to symbolise and mark this annual festival.
It is a normative practice for many Indian South African women to prepare for this celebration without the assistance of their male counterparts. Food and decoration preparations consume many hours and usually take place in the evenings after a full day of work and household responsibilities at least a week before the festival.
Adopting the four-day work week will allow South African women to be focused on parenting, household responsibilities and personal responsibilities on the day that they do not have to be at work.
Psychologists and experts are suggesting that this schedule can assist in reducing stress levels and work fatigue which can contribute to employees being healthier in the long term. High-stress levels are a primary cause of non-communicable and lifestyle diseases globally and locally. Stress-related hormones disturb body functionality by increasing blood pressure and the heart rate and impacting glucose levels in the body.
Some believe that the day away can enhance a better work ethic and productivity levels and contribute effectively to accuracy and increased deliverables. The culture and practice of performance-driven work within our post-modern societies have a pressurising impact on women in our community.
In some instances, work performances of women are still compared to male colleagues with the lack of consideration of the additional responsibilities women are engaged in. The differing gender-assigned roles that each sex plays in their personal and familial lives has an impact on one’s career development and goals.
The challenges lie in the intricacy of the work-life balance for women and their support structures. There is no doubt that one day less at work will allow individuals to de-stress and engage in activities that are both physically and mentally positive for themselves.
Mothers can spend more time with their children and enhance their development by becoming more involved in their educational curriculums and personal growth. The positive outcomes of nurturing and appropriate parenting is visible in our present and future societies in South Africa and should never be undermined.
A drive to achieve work-life balance for South African women needs to be prioritised. Women’s preference of the four-day work week should be vocalised.
The support for this motion should be articulated on numerous national mass media resources so that four-day work week will become a standard choice for many women employed at both multinational and local corporates.
Let's utilise this opportunity to embark on a lifestyle that can contribute effectively to a healthy work-life balance.
Bhoola has a PhD and two Master’s degrees in the social sciences. She is a lecturer, researcher and a freelance writer. Bhoola has been the recipient of awards and academic scholarships throughout her career. Visit www.sheetalbhoola.com