Hyderabad: What is more preferred by employees in the country? Is it working on a project and not counting a number of hours or is it just a four-day work week executed as the same in other countries?
A new survey suggests that the idea of a four-day week has gained attraction as 62 percent of the employees prefer freedom to work while 38 percent of the employees lean towards a four-day-a-week schedule.
According to Qualtrics research, flexibility is a bigger driver of retention than a four-day work week. As the organisation cleared the way to work properly after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and the central government predicts to implement four new labour codes, the Qualtrics findings highlight the importance of understanding the needs of the employee, to profitably align the programmes being selected with their needs and expectation.
For 35 percent of employees, flexibility means having control of the hours they want to work. One in five prefers flexibility in choosing what days to work, while others want to have the authority to work from any location (about 20 percent) or be measured by performance rather than hours (14 percent).
Open to the four-day work week, but have concerns:
Around 91 percent of respondents are okay to support their employer to implement a four-day work week mainly because of recognising improvements to their health and well-being.
While the majority of respondents accept a four-day work week, could improve work-life balance and mental well-being by making them feel more faithful towards their employer and be more productive.
However, the trade-offs in these programmes would be the expectation of working longer hours, as well as concerns about customer annoyance and a negative impact on company performance.
Focus on mental wellbeing
“One potential solution to the challenges posed by new working models is having employee performance measured by results rather than hours and days worked, with 88 percent of respondents supportive of this approach. Respondents tout increased efficiency, focus, and recognition as the top reasons for doing so, while 26 percent expect to work fewer hours,” it said.
