Creating more sustainable careers and businesses through shorter work weeks

This article examines how working hours have been reduced at their companies, without cutting salaries, or sacrificing productivity or profitability. In implementing 4‐day weeks or 6‐hour days, they can solve recruitment and retention problems, promote work–life balance, incentivize employees to work smarter, increase focus and creativity—and create more sustainable careers and businesses. The article spotlights a variety of companies, including the Copenhagen restaurant Noma, the Japanese ecommerce retailer Zozo, a nd the Korean delivery app maker Woowa Brothers. The author points out that these companies and others he studied are in industries where pressure can be intense, overwork is the norm, burnout is endemic, people face challenges balancing careers and family, and there's a constant demand to be creati ve and innovative. A number of leaders have taken up running or cycling after moving to a 4‐day week, in part because these sports offer time for reflection or mind wandering. For companies in fast‐changing industries, it can be especially valuable to have time throughout the year to reflect, t hink about new products, and pay attention to the weak signals that can indicate a downturn in the market or shift in consumer preferences.
Source: Leader to Leader - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: HESSELBEIN & COMPANY Source Type: research