Four day week? Sure – but you better be in on a Monday, say bosses
EMPLOYERS are more open to the idea of a shorter working week than many think – but you can forget about working from home if you want Friday off.
That’s the conclusion of a survey of more than 10,000 employees and bosses released today by Hays, the recruitment firm.
A third of employers are more likely to consider cramming a week’s work into four days if staff came back to the office to kick off the week.
The number of commuters on a Monday continues to lag that seen on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with the term ‘twats’ now a firm part of City lexicon.
Bosses are increasingly chafing at staff working from home at the start of the week.
Last week the Lloyd’s of London boss John Neal said there will be times when staff “have to be in every day of the week” and has said the Square ile needs to “get Monday back.”
A recent trial of a four-day week at a host of companies saw a third of them make the change permanent. The survey suggested almost two-thirds of workers would like to switch a four-day week.
Gaelle Blake of Hays UK and Ireland said the research pointed to the “importance of flexibility as professionals would be willing to travel into an office more often if there was better flexibility from employers on their working days.”