New Zealand offers a 4 day work week
A work week of only four days. This is the proposal that has been examined and mentioned by New Zealand Minister Jacinda Ardern in one of her recent speeches to the nation. The woman has, in fact, stated that "This is an exceptional time and we should be ready to consider extraordinary ideas". New Zealand was also engulfed by Hurricane Coronavirus and, despite being one of the first nations to come out of the lockdown, it was not immune to the impact that the COVID-19 crisis has had on the economy. Given and considered the change in the work structure carried out by many companies in response to the health emergency, the Premier invites employees and employers to question the systems in force to date and rethink them in a different, more flexible perspective, where the individual no longer lives to work, but returns to work to live.
A solution to revive the fortunes of tourism
This solution, certainly extreme for some, was advocated by the Prime Minister herself, convinced that it could prove to be a winning stratagem to help restore the country's economy. Ardern refers in particular to the tourism sector, brought to its knees by the closure of the borders. With more free days available, the New Zealand population would have more time to travel nationally, setting out to (re) discover the beauties that their homeland can offer. We Italians should know something about it, right?
An experiment that has already paid off
The experiment, organized according to the following principle: "longer hours spread over several days", was implemented in 2018 by the company Perpetual Guardian, specialized in asset management. At the end of the two-month trial, with a 40-hour work week divided into 4 days of the week, the company recorded a peak in employee productivity, a better work-life balance and a significant decrease in stress. In short, all for the better! What do you think?
