Opinion – 'More flexibility in the workplace does not reduce the need for a guideline'
Just like other aspects of a flexible work organisation, a four-day working week is not purely a good or bad idea, according to Koen Van Hulst, responsible for psychosocial matters at Mensura. The key question is whether it contributes to meaningful work for an individual employee. Do they experience how they can work as meaningful? Are they sufficiently informed and armed to deal with constant change? In other words, are companies ready for it?
On closer inspection, doing the same job in four days instead of five does not seem like a good idea. The additional health risks posed by longer workdays do not justify the required recovery time. But is this true in all situations? No. Context is important. SMEs often lend themselves more easily to alternative ways of working. And there is nothing wrong with that in itself. Corporations are more ponderous and bogged down, for instance, by underlying dependencies. This can make it difficult to implement a four-day working week.
The four-day working week and the requirement to 'disconnect' are in keeping with continuing to make how we work more flexible. And as always, this is a double-edged sword. Both sides of the labour deal are part of making labour 'fluid'. This can be advantageous, both for the employee and employer, provided that boundaries are redefined. Lots of work does not have to be organised nine-to-five. Nevertheless, employers must ask themselves how they want to organise their business. When do they want to be available for their customers? And what do your employees want? Can they say what works best for them personally?
Companies that have not yet developed a vision of how they want to organise work and make it more flexible have no time to lose. One size does not fit all. What works for one person does not necessarily work for another. Some job profiles need more support or prefer a clear daily schedule in which they can carry out their work. Others get energy from a flexible work schedule and its autonomy.
Teleworkers in particular are faced with considerable changes, new opportunities, and freedom. But that is not good news for everyone. A guideline and some protection are also needed. It is short-sighted to say that everyone should decide for themselves what is best for them. Not everyone can do that.
It is just as important to sensitise people to the importance of strengthening their resilience. Resilience is a mainstay in times of constant change. Every employee must have this in times of change. So, everyone who works must answer questions such as: what is important to me? What gives me energy? What costs me energy? Employers who do not support their employees during this process by providing a guideline or tools risk causing people to leave or even a brain drain.
So, the question that must be asked about every aspect of a flexible work organisation is: does it contribute to meaningful work for an employee? Wrangling about a four-day or five-day working week may even be beside the point. In 2022, no organisation can do without a clear vision, a bigger narrative as a guideline for the organisation of work. This must be translated into what that means for telework, disconnection, training, pay, etc. HR departments are looking at busy times ahead.