Why Tech Companies Should Choose a Four-Day Working Week
UK/Ireland tech start-up and employee rewards platform Mór have adopted the 4-day working practice since they launched in February 2021 and believe that other tech companies and start-ups should follow their lead and look to establish this innovative way or working.
Mór became the first tech start-up in the UK to implement the 4-day working week and it is now ingrained into the core ethos of the business.
The business has incorporated this way of working whilst operating remotely. Creating a flexible work-life balance for its employees.
Urchana Moudgil, Co-CEO at Mór explains why:
Core Principles
Since day one, we have employed a four-day working week. It was important for us to introduce this from the inception and make it clear that this was a core principle in which we believe.
The inspiration for introducing a four-day working week has been made clear in many case studies and stories.
The positive results coming out of Iceland and Japan, as well as the introduction of the practice by the Scottish Government, all pointed to a positive outcome.
Why?
The main reasons for introducing the four-day working week include:
- A better work-life balance for our employees, leading to an increased focus on mental health and wellbeing.
- A reduced environmental impact, by reducing commuting days and working from home.
- A belief that introducing these measures will stand to increase productivity and corporate pride, rather than reduce them.
Pioneering
We are proud to be pioneering the four-day working week. We often say ‘we work to live and not live to work’; but how many of us actually practice that?
We wanted to change the mindset and create an organisation and environment that actively encourages a positive work-life balance.
Prioritising employee welfare and creating a culture of positivity has been invaluable for productivity and the mental health and wellbeing of our team, who have embraced the four-day working week.
Implementation
One of the major criticisms of the four-day week is the implementation, especially within established and enterprise businesses.
How can you ensure that it is rolled out effectively? How do you change the attitudes of some employees who have worked in the business for potentially decades? And how do you ensure that it is welcomed from the top down, and that there is no unwritten requirement to still be online for five days?
Thankfully, we were in a position to begin the business with a four-day week, eliminating many of these concerns. It works for us, but only because the team fully invests in the idea and uses the four days in the office to their full potential.
We understand from a management perspective it can seem potentially dangerous; however, when you have a trusted team that is pulling in the same direction, the number of days in the office is trivial.
Improving Productivity Not Business Perception
The main aim of introducing a four-day working week shouldn’t be for praise from external sources.
If you want to introduce the practice in order to position your business as radical, or as a trailblazer, or to be featured as a content topic of the week, then you are already choosing to do it for the wrong reasons.
From personal experience, the positives far outweigh the negatives, and it’s about looking inward at your business. By treating employees well, actively listening to what they want and taking action, you will increase staff retention and make your office a better place to work.
If introducing it helps to make it more commonplace and improve working standards across the UK and Ireland then fantastic; however, it should always be about improving your employees’ lives and productivity, not the business perception.
One study found that companies that adopted a four-day week reported that over three-quarters of staff (78%) were happier, less stressed (70%), and took fewer days off ill (62%).
Attracting and Retaining Talent
More people than ever are looking for flexibility from their workplace and this approach and new way of working can help set your businesses apart from others.
A more flexible approach to the working week can also improve inclusivity. For example, flexible hours can open the door to people with disabilities or parents with young children who need to stay at home.
This way of working is something that could benefit other tech start-ups when it comes to attracting and retaining talent.
