Is The 4 Day Work Week In Your Contact Center's Future?

It may be hard to imagine today – but it’s only been about 100 years since the introduction of the 8 hour / 5 day / 40 hour work week plus 2 day ‘weekend’ in North America.

The ‘Eight Hour Day’ – also known as the ‘40 Hour Week’ or ‘Short Time’ Movement – dates back to the 1800s Industrial Revolution in the UK – where industrial production in large factories transformed working life for many.

At that time – the working day for employees ranged from 10 to 16 hours – six days a week – and the use of child labor was common.

The ‘Eight Hour Day’ / ‘40 Hour Week’ / ‘Short Time’ Movement grew out of labor’s desire to regulate the length of the working day – and to prevent employer excesses & abuses.

It was a radical idea for the 1920s when Henry Ford introduced the 8 hour / 5 day / 40 hour work week + 2 day ‘weekend’ to his automotive assembly line employees.

The concept really took off – in no small part because it was found that employee productivity actually went up when they worked fewer days & fewer hours each week.

Fairly quickly – no matter what their politics – business and government both found it increasingly hard to argue against the 8 hour / 5 day / 40 hour work week plus 2 day ‘weekend’.

For Most Employees – A 3 Day Long Weekend Is An Occasional Experience

But for a growing number – as corporations reimagine the post Covid19 pandemic work world – 10 hour / 4 day / 40 hour work weeks with a 3 day ‘weekend’ have become their regular schedule.

The concept of a compressed work week isn't new.

It's been common among Police / Fire / Ambulance / Medical personnel for decades – but until recently rare for Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) working in Contact Centers.

Contact Center Customer Service Is Powered By Women

Roughly 80% of CSRs are female – and two thirds are working mothers / single parents.

Since Covid19 hit in 2020 – women have been spending nearly 50% more time on childcare / education / household chores / eldercare than they did prior to the pandemic.

Over the past 2 years – more than two million women in the USA have chosen to leave their jobs – bringing female workforce participation to its lowest level in 30 years.

Of those remaining – 1 in 4 hourly wage working women are currently thinking about downshifting the number of days they put in each week – or leaving the workforce entirely.

5 Day Work Weeks Aren’t Working For Many Working Moms

After Pay & Benefits – schedule flexibility is the next thing working mother / single parent CSRs consider when evaluating whether or not to work for a particular Call Center employer.

These are people looking for a 'Mom Friendly' Contact Center workplace – where they can have more control over their hours & personal lives.

Compressed Work Weeks Offer CSRs Alternatives To The Conventional 8 Hour Day Job

Google / Amazon / Global financial advisory firm KPMG have recently reported on 10 hour / 4 day / 40 hour work week plus 3 day ‘weekend’ pilot programs they’ve been operating in some of their Contact Centers.

They’ve found that compressed work weeks:

• Enhance Work / Life Balance – empowering CSRs to devote more time to the personal things in life that matter to them.
• Boost CSR job engagement & productivity.
• The extra day off each week reduces CSR stress / absenteeism / emotional exhaustion / burnout / turnover / attrition.
• Strengthens employer branding.

British Telecom recently released the results of their 6 month 2021 10 hour day / 4 day work week pilot program they ran with 1,500 of their CSRs.

• They found that longer 10 hour shifts within a 4 day work week actually increased the productivity of the participating CSRs – who were found to work longer at peak efficiency during a longer shift when the reward was 3 days off.
• CSR absenteeism also decreased – along with the quit rate.
• British Telecom additionally reported that the 10 hour day / 4 day work week pilot program had a positive impact on CSR job engagement / motivation / overall wellbeing.

The Advice Direct Helpline provides free advice & information to callers on financial benefits / consumer debt / money worries.

• They recently introduced a 10 hour / 4 day work schedule for their 90 CSRs and report it has increased productivity / motivation / job engagement – with the staff enjoying a better Work / Life Balance.

Business insurance provider Simply Business reports that when they switched their 120 CSRs to a 10 hour / 4 day work schedule they experienced a 30% increase in productivity. ?

More Contact Centers Should Consider Making Compressed Work Week Schedules Available

As long as your company’s business requirements are being met – taking advantage of the benefits that come from offering CSRs flexible working arrangements through compressed work weeks can help you to attract more applicants – increase employee morale & job engagement – improve productivity – reduce absenteeism / attrition / turnover – while enhancing staff Work / Life Balance.

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