Oh, what the hell is this?! 'It's a PR email, boss.' Yes, Voice, but what are they going on about? FFS!
I've explained it before, what people have got to do. 'What?' Listen! If you're an international rock and roll star, or ... or an artist of any kind, you should be working seven days a week. No excuses! 'Fuckin' A! But -' But if you're just an average person ... Man, you should only be working ONE DAY a week BECAUSE life is too short, you dig? 'Go to the park! Have an ice cream!' Yes! That's what you should be doing. It's not rocket science. Why do I have to keep explaining this shit?!
Anyway ...
Richard Jeffery (CEO and founder of ActiveOps PLC, a management process automation company) gives his take on the 4-day working week.
Oh, I bet he does!
Please find the full release below for further details. Furthermore, if you are interested in speaking with Richard Jeffery, please do let me know as I'll be happy to arrange this for you.
'Speak to him, boss!' No. What sense will I get out of him? Seriously.
Anyway ...
Business leaders must focus on the wellbeing of teams throughout the 4-day working week, says Richard Jeffery, CEO and Founder of ActiveOps.
Yeah, yeah. Get on with it. 'This will be good.'
The magnitude of the recession resulting from The Thing was utterly unprecedented in modern times. National economies and businesses were greatly affected. When lockdown measures were first enforced throughout the UK, it would have been entirely inconceivable for the government and the public to even entertain the idea of a 4-day working week with a 3-day weekend. Although The Thing is still a large part of our lives, businesses learn how to adapt.
Ha! No one cares about The Thing any more.
The global Thing has proven that a 4-day working week certainly isn't beyond our imagination. The fact that Hybrid working became the 'new normal' exemplifies how the working landscape we became accustomed too can be drastically altered at any given time.
Richard Jeffery (CEO and founder of ActiveOps PLC, a management process automation company) gives his take on the 4-day working week. He states -
Hang on! I thought that was Richie speaking to us??? Never mind. Here he is now -
"Working fewer hours can lead to an increase in productivity levels. A 2014 study from - er, he doesn't say - suggested that productivity declines after working 50 hours a week. In business, productivity is essential to maximise the value organizations provide to customers, whether in increased output or commercial savings brought about by increased efficiency."
Yeah, yeah. Tell that to Picasso. Some people just aren't driven. Some people don't have a sacred mission in life. I'm not having a go at them. I'm just explaining the situation. But anyone can choose the lifestyle. You've just got to make the choice. How great do you want to be?
Anyway ...
Jeffery continues -
Who?! Where's our Richie gone to?! 'Richard Jeffery, boss.' Oh, right. Never mind. It takes all sorts to make a world.
Jeffery continues: "By spending more time away from their workplace, employees can avoid burnout. Consequently, the time they do spend at work will be more fulfilling."
More fulfilling? Says who?! Employees should only be working one day a week!!! Do I have to keep repeating myself?
"Organizations that create a better environment for their team members' wellbeing will see additional business benefits beyond productivity, such as a high retention rate, which lowers recruitment costs. In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), poor health reduces national GDP by 15%, almost twice the 8% hit to GDP that The Thing itself has had."
Ha! What's better than my idea of six whole days to yourself each week? Answer that one, Richie!
"Thereby, it's no secret that investing in your employees' health and wellbeing can reduce sickness rates, improve work motivation and encourage a better sense of team morale. Thus, employee wellbeing is the key to management success."
'He can't answer it, boss.' Of course he can't.
Jeffery notes that: "Businesses should be aware that a 4-day working week can only improve productivity if appropriately managed. Business leaders must focus on the wellbeing of teams through real-time performance measurement."
Ha! Try measuring me, mate. See how far you get.
Jeffery explains: "It is now possible to have a workforce optimization solution (WFO) to provide managers with real-time data during the 4-day week. A business now requires unveiling real insights and implementing operational changes that promote cultural and production consistency."
What?!
"Recognizing that capturing real-time data at aggregate and individual levels can enable a company to uncover more prominent organizational trends that drive overall business efficiency. In a global business environment that is both highly competitive and relentlessly volatile, access to real-time performance data - or a lack of access to that essential data - will make or break businesses."
Try capturing my performance data, Richie. I dare you. 'You're not even working for him, boss.' I'm just saying, man.
"It is also essential to consider profound consequences when a business doesn't have insight into the data required for the managers to make fast and accurate decisions over scheduling and workforce levels across departments. Shortages of resources, limited capacity, and backlogs of work yet to be processed inevitably affect the customer experience on the outside and decrease employee morale on the inside."
I got news for you, Richie. Customers are idiots.
"Similarly, organizations don't want employees to face burnout, scrambling to be more efficient during their 4-day week. This lack of coordination can genuinely eat into overall efficiency and subsequent engagement, leading to lower productivity and higher staff turnover."
Ah, it's tragic.
Jeffery adds: "It also cannot be ignored that there will be a growing need to reskill managers to support the 4-day working week. It is important to give managers the support they need to align and deploy their front lines. This will mean equipping them with the right tools, processes, and skills to train and certify managers if the transition is to be made. Businesses should invest in workforce intelligence as they can uncover opportunities for managers to simplify running operations, be in control and increase productivity."
Hell is managers.
Jeffery concludes: "Due to the ongoing effects of The Thing, it is no wonder that many countries are piloting ways of improving productivity. If trials are successful, business leaders will need to play their cards right to maintain or even improve productivity levels through the change."
Change? I wouldn't worry too much. The world is coming to an end. That means no more business. Hopefully, we'll still have rainbows. Well, the spiders might.
"The drive towards optimizing organizational efficiency and productivity should no longer centre solely around performance and profit but equally revolve around maintaining high levels of employee mental wellbeing."
Yes, Richie! And that's why I say that employees should only be working one day a week.
Richie?
Richie?
'He's not listening, boss.'
Has he gone?
Okay, fair enough.
ENDS
ENDS
ENDS
The Fear of Freedom by Erich Fromm is a great book.
