The Four-Day Work Week in SA: How Will It Fare Against the Trial in the UK?

A four-day work week has been adopted in the UK and all over the world to increase employee productivity and wellness. Is a four-day work week better? Out of the 70 UK companies that participated, 86% plan to keep the four-day schedule when it ends, emphasizing the benefits such as staff members being more productive and happier.

South Africa is encouraged to follow the trend. The good news is that the National Business Initiative (NBI) and Stellenbosch Business School have joined other partners in the 4 Day Week SA Coalition, supporting the initiative.?

The question is, how well will it work on a large scale? Let’s find out.

Thoughts on a four-day work week in SA

● Competition?

If businesses hop on board, they will be seen as progressive and forward-thinking. Competitors might also try it before they do, putting them at market risk of losing customers.

● Risk

It’s debatable if the country or economy is ready for a four-day work week on a large scale. Businesses will need to assess if it’s viable and test it before committing long-term.

● Company-specific

The potential companies that do try this, would likely be more specific or niche, such as small and medium-sized technology companies.

● Regulation

A big concern is the apparent regulated working conditions for certain jobs or industries. For instance, the blue-collar or manual labour workforce is highly regulated. Different working models such as four-day work weeks are better suited for white-collar or office workers.

● Change in legislation

The working hours in the conditions of employment are highly regulated by labour legislation. For South Africa to implement a four-day work week, this legislation would need to be changed.?

Bottom line

Re-imaging the workplace and innovative thinking has been the propelling element behind the workforce of the future, especially in light of current flexible working conditions globally.

A four-day work week might just be another social trend South African companies need to consider, for staff retention, social compliance, organizational success, and higher employee engagement. Sustainable investors will look for minimal societal risk factors that don’t disrupt capital returns and will seek socially sustainable companies. If a company chooses this as part of its social strategy and is concerned about operational risks –?a GRC solution can assist to monitor company and individual performance as well as accountability against goals and objectives, by offering operational risk management tools.?

Article written by The CURA Content Team