Dear Editor,
I got my first job when I was 14 and basically haven’t stopped working, be it part time or full time since then. Many of the full time positions I have worked in have been flexible and I have only worked 4 days a week.
I now work for myself, often only working 4 days in a week but sometimes working 5. I worked 6 and 7 days a week to get it off the ground for over 12 months but I now enjoy my 4 days a week and thoroughly enjoy a Friday to Sunday weekend.
My partner and girlfriend for many years also works a 4 day week and her company has 2 employment options, 4 days a week working 9:30am until 8:00pm, or the standard Monday to Friday. She has of course opted for the 4 day a week option because this allows us to spend more time together and enjoy our weekend. We both accept that we see little of each other during the week however even saying that a 9:30 start time. That is a bit of a sleep in.
The type of format got me thinking… why don’t more businesses operate with different employment options? More and more people want to be in communication with businesses after the standard 5pm closing time so in this respect it makes sense.
But how to structure this you ask. Well I say no need to over complicate this and you can do it with 4 simple options.
You have your Monday to Friday week however it is two different time spots. A 8am to 4pm shift and a 10pm to 6pm shift. The Monday to Friday may suit some people and may be what they want. Maybe 30% of your team would be in here. New staff, members of management, people who want to work this shift.
The next option is the Monday to Thursday extended hours, 9:30am to 8pm. Many people will want this so you can assign 35% of your team. This may even be based on a reservation / earning the right to have this shift.
The final option is similar to the first however it is the Tuesday to Friday extended hours. Again, this could be via reservation and may be the ideal employment for someone.
You are running at 60 - 65% power for Monday and Friday but your trading hours now 12 each day from Monday to Friday. The cost of this 65% team strength also needs to be measured against things like the reduction in sick days from employees due to increased leisure time.
The number of a 1/3 productivity reduction 2 days a week for a 50% increase in the standard trading hour week is hard to pass.
I hope that more and more businesses start to think about flexible times and employment options. It seems like it makes a lot of sense. I know that if I ever got to run a company, this is how I would do it.
Regards,
Mr Employee Guy