4-day working week? Yes, but only in solid, well-organised companies
It does not mean working less, but distributing the workload differently, increasing the daily working hours but also optimising time, perhaps eliminating those many meetings and often unnecessary calls that the day is filled with
4' min read
4' min read
Workers are reflecting much more than before on what they want from work and life. They are re-evaluating, and in some cases overturning, ideas about their own value, job security, what they want from their employers and what they are willing to offer in return. Whether out of a sense of entitlement or disillusionment or simply a natural consequence of the changes they have had to adapt to, employees are demanding and expecting their professional relationship with their employers to take a new course. Higher pay, more flexibility and support, new challenges, more recognition, better prospects and a fairer, more inclusive culture: the list of factors for ensuring employee engagement and satisfaction is long and varied.
First it was the smartworking, the coveted opportunity to work remotely, at your preferred location and sometimes even at your preferred hours, which has been adopted since the pandemic and has not been abandoned since. It is true that many companies have retraced their steps by reintroducing normal office life, but according to the latest data from the Osservatorio Smart Working of the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano, in 2023 there will be 3.6 million remote workers in Italy, a good 541% more than pre-Covid, and in 2024 it is estimated that there will be 3.65 million.
Now seems to be the time for the "four day week" or rather the four-day working week that, after a mostly international start, is gaining ground also in Italy. First Intesa Sanpaolo, but then also Luxottica and Lamborghini, have decided that their employees will work four days a week, giving them the possibility to have an extra day off.
Beware that this does not mean working less, but distributing the workload in a different way, increasing the daily working hours but also optimising time, perhaps eliminating those many meetings and often unnecessary calls that the day is filled with.
According to a study conducted by ADP on about 2,000 Italian workers, 56% of Italians surveyed would be willing to switch to a 4-day working week, increasing their daily work commitment to 10 hours, in order to achieve a better work-life balance. At the same time, 35% would be willing to reduce their salary in order to achieve a better work-life balance.
