South Africans crave a 4-day work week – but it will come with a cost
Professional South Africans overwhelmingly want a 4-day workweek, with many saying they will let go of other work perks in favour of it.
According to a recent poll from Robert Walters, which had 2,000 responses from working professionals, 46% of professionals said that they would sacrifice work socials and relationships with colleagues for a 4-day workweek.
An official pilot scheme of a 4-day workweek is set to start in South Africa in early June, following international trials.
However, employers have expressed concern over the idea of a 4-day workweek.
“Workplaces have only just turned a corner and started to see more faces in the office – with that has come a burst of energy, collaboration, creativity, and productivity. It is a slight kick in the teeth to hear that a progressive wellbeing initiative such as a 4-day week could have such a detrimental impact on workplace culture and business relationships,” Robert Walters South Africa’s Jasmine Araujo said.
“With the trials of 4-days being so new to many organisations, the long-term impact is hard to ascertain – however, with 46% of professionals willing to forego socials and business relationships, companies should be mindful that poor company culture comes at a price.
“As with what we experienced with remote working and then the move to hybrid, any change in the workplace brings about its challenges – and a 4-day week will be no different, and business leaders need to tread with caution.”
Moreover, 27% of respondents said that they would forego hybrid work arrangements, but it seems far fewer (16%) are willing to sacrifice training opportunities for fewer working days.
Job seeking
Robert Walters said that 90% of professionals would want their employer to implement a 4-day week.
In addition, a 4-day workweek tops the poll on the most desirable perks when applying for a job, with 44% saying that this would appeal to them most – beating the 38% for the ability to work anywhere.
More than half of professionals who want a 4-day workweek said that they expect their pay to stay the same, and only 16% of respondents said that they take a 10% to 15% pay increase in favour of a workforce.
Only 2% of respondents said that they would opt for office-based soft perks, such as work socials or complimentary lunch or breakfasts, over a 4-day workweek.
However, debates regarding the financial viability of 4-day workweeks are present.
“It is absolutely right that workplaces should be held more accountable for the wellbeing of their employees, however, professionals need to be considerate to the fact this responsibility goes both ways, and they have a duty to contribute to the success of a business, especially in this current period of economic uncertainty,” Araujo said.
International success
The upcoming trials in South Africa will follow similar trials in the UK, Europe and North America, and were noted for their success.
However, the Robert Walters poll showed that the perceived successes of the trials were one-sided, saying that the consequences also have to be considered.
The key findings from the UK’s 4-day Week Pilot Trial include:
- Overall working hours were only reduced by 4 hours – falling short of the 32 it was meant to achieve
- 28% reported either working more hours or no change to their 5-days-a-week hours
- 49% reported no change in the typical amount of overtime they do – 17% reported doing more overtime
- 22% reported an increase in burnout-symptoms
- 15% reported an increase in sleeping difficulties – further 45% stated that their sleeping quality hadn’t improved/changed significantly
- 36% reported no change to work-life balance – further 10% reported a decrease
- 26% reported no change to work-ability – with 19% reporting a decrease
- Just 2% stated workload had decreased – 20% reported an increase, and 78% reported no-change
- 36% reported work intensity had increased
- 42% reported an increase in the complexity of their work
“Highlighting this data is by no means a way of pointing out that a 4-day week cannot work. Just as with every kind of trial, a balanced view of the results needs to be provided to assist us in understanding what does and doesn’t work,” Araujo said.
“There is definitely a place for the 4-day working week in business, but maybe it’s not the silver bullet to increase productivity and improved wellbeing, as first thought.”
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