Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better working for Acuity Solutions, our Managing Director, Stephen Clarke announces the launch of a new 4-day working week.
The way we work has changed over the last few years, mainly as a result of the pandemic but the world of work is evolving. More and more people are working remotely. Whilst working from home can be a luxury and sounds great, it can be a challenge, and many people actually find they work longer hours, and are no more productive but are more stressed. It can be hard to strike the right work-life balance.
That is why Acuity have introduced a trial of the 4-day working week to everyone in the company based on the 100:80:100 model. This means that all employees can expect 100 per cent pay for 80 per cent of the time, in exchange for a commitment to maintain at least 100 per cent productivity.
So, instead of working 37.5 hours per week working from home and probably being 80 per cent productive – we move to working 30hours in 4 days and managing our time more effectively, giving 100 per cent output.
We have a happy bunch here at Acuity, but we recognise that the stresses can take their toll. People need to recharge and unwind, so the shift to 4 days will hopefully have a positive impact on staff wellbeing, improve customer satisfaction and build a stronger business. We want our colleagues to be happy, which in turn has commercial benefits such as:
- Productivity – More concentrated focus boosts productivity
- Innovation – Rest inspires creativity and new ways to work more effectively
- Recruitment – Acuity becomes increasingly more appealing as an employer and attracts talent
- Retention – 4-day weeks is a tangible incentive to improve job retention
- Sickness – Overworked staff tend to take more sick days, 4-day weeks reduce sickness-related absences.
What’s more, a 4-day working week can have an ethical and social impact. As a forward-thinking business we are keen on making a difference to our colleagues’ lives, to our respective local communities, and beyond.
On our Non-Working Day, we get to positively impact our health and wellbeing by doing the things we don’t usually find the time to do on the weekends. That could be anything from learning a new skill, taking up a hobby, doing that DIY you’ve been planning on doing for months, or just going to the shops, playing a round of golf, or having lunch with a friend or family member.
We believe it can also help towards the struggles with the cost of living – certainly with costs such as commuting and childcare.
However, it’s not just about us! Everyone at Acuity has been encouraged to look at giving something back in your local community by volunteering to a charitable, worthwhile cause. For example, members of our marketing team based in South Wales will be dedicating some of their non-working days to help local charity Groundwork Wales to maintain Dare Valley Country Park with tasks such as fence fixing, litter picking, and much more.
This change will also go some way to helping Acuity have a positive environmental impact, reducing our carbon footprint through less unnecessary work travel.
It goes without saying that our customers still come first. At the moment we are trialling this scheme and hope our customers experience a positive impact, but our intention is to monitor and make sure that there is no less effort or commitment to supporting our customers businesses. Should you have questions please get in touch via our contact us page.
If you’re considering this for your company we received lots of support from campaigners 4-day week
We’re really excited about the change – bring on the 4day revolution! Power to the People!