A company tested the four -day work week. Now your workers think it is best to work seven days

The debate on the Reduction of the working day It is more alive than ever and many countries are reconsidering their working day model with alternatives such as four -day work week.

Lumena small Cardiff SEO services consultant, tested the four -day work week obtaining outstanding results. However, his CEO, considered that the idea could still be improved, so he decided to go one step further and try a model even more flexible: Work seven days a week.

From the four -day week to 32 hours. As Aced Nelmes, CEO of Lumen, counted In his LinkedIn profilethe company had changed its four -day workday for a 32 -hour. The difference can be underestimated, in that change the elimination of an important barrier is implicit: the company will not impose if its employees have to do those 32 hours In a certain number of days or at a certain schedule. It will be the employees themselves who decide when to work.

According to his CEO, two years ago, Lumen implemented the four -day work week. The results exceeded all expectations: staff rotation fell to zero, productivity increased and employees felt more rested and committed. According to Nelmes, “our workers reported to be happier, have better health and be more productive.” But the model It could be improved.

Seven days to meet your day. “The idea of ​​the 32 -hour week is to go further in the flexibility offered by the four days,” Nelmes explained. In the system proposed by Lumen, the only condition is that employees meet their projects and objectives, managing their time with total autonomy. Nelmes clarified in statements to The confidential that “what I require is a lot of self -discipline, capacity for concentration, self -regulation, initiative and independence.” The company seeks workers capable of directing their own time and offering the best of themselves.

“I think we microstal the day -to -day life of our workers, we assume what kind of day they should have to be productive. My argument is that it is not, we do not know, and we need to delegate that decision in each individual,” said the young manager to El Confidencial.

The exception: meetings and training. According to The publishedby him Financial Timesthe only exception to the total flexibility of Lumen is the time that the company dedicates to Team meetings in which the mandatory projects and formations are defined. Together, the CEO ensures that they do not exceed three hours per week. This guarantees the connection and coordination of the team without sacrificing individual autonomy.

For all others each of the employees distributes their work week with total labor flexibility and No entry or exit schedules.

Results and surprises. During the three months of proof of this new flexibility model, Nelmes observed that, in reality, the employees did not make major changes in their schedules. Most had routines similar to conventional ones, adapting only small details to enjoy personal activities. “People like to have routines and structure, so many … still prefer to move within a standard schedule,” explained the CEO to The confidential.

The flexibility had limited itself to adapting their working hours to certain personal activities (playing sports, medical appointments, etc.) or to coincide with The schedules of their childrenand then recover that time at another time of the week.

According to Nelmes, the most extreme case is that of one of its employees, who took advantage of that flexibility to adjust their rest days during the week according to the climate or their personal needs. Then, I worked on Sunday, because it was the time when I found greater concentration and less interruptions.

Flexibility with clear values ​​and limits. As has counted The CEO, this model does not imply total disconnection of the company. Lumen takes great care of your team to ensure that everyone shares Commitment values and responsibility. “We would not hire someone who only wanted to work 16 hours in two days,” says Nelmes. In fact, the manager assures that they have had to leave people who did not adapt to this level of freedom and demand.

The objective is to allow employees to have enough flexibility in their workday to be carried out as people and take care of their familieswhich also helps them save in nurseries, cleaning or extracurricular activities. According to Nelmes, “if you let your employees be good parents, they will also be good employees.” The company seeks to attract fathers and mothers, convinced that flexibility improves both productivity and the quality of life.

An adaptable model, but not for all. Although the manager ensures that the results obtained by his staff have been positive, he acknowledges that this model is not viable or For all companies Not for all sectors. Consultants, banks, law firms or marketing companies can benefit from this approach since they allow combining the flexibility of teleworking with the organization by objectives.

However, it acknowledges that it is a difficult implementation option in sectors such as the manufacturing industry, construction, the hospitality or tourismwhere physical presence and fixed schedules are inherent to the nature of work.

In Xataka | Spain already has its first municipality with four -day work week. It is not in Madrid or Barcelona, ​​but in a corner of Cádiz

In Xataka | Three Spanish companies tell us how it has gone after implementing a job utopia: the four -day week

Image | Lumen