Four -day work week: between advantages and disadvantages

Unemployment is on everyone’s lips and is present in almost every sector of activity. Knowing that this situation will not soon be resolved, companies are showing imagination in attracting labor and retaining them.

The company Diffusion Solutions Intégrées, which specializes in software development, decided six months ago to increase the work week of these employees from 40 to 32 hours, without lowering the salary.

A project that requires a lot of adaptation, says Louis-Philippe Poulin, president and CEO of Diffusion Integrated Solutions. There are doubts about how employees will do their jobs properly and make full use of this reduced time, the company manager said. He indicates that each team went their own way, determining how they would work by considering the number of hours allotted.

Despite the difficulties experienced, Mr. Poulin considers his project a success, estimating that 70% of employees fully utilize 5.5 hours of paid personal time. The remaining 30% have dedicated themselves to it in whole or in part, he specified.

” Often, people are able to use it to the fullest. We conduct regular surveys with our employees to determine who uses it or not, and why. “

There are those who prefer to work five days, but shorter days, finish earlier, than say, I have a full dayadded the entrepreneur where flexibility is important in the implementation of this new measure.

Louis-Philippe Poulin sees a privilege in having a day off every week. But depending on the circumstances, you may not be able to cope. But instead, you’ll work fewer hours the rest of the weekhe said.

Advantages and disadvantages

It is true that employees benefit from four working days to five, the fact remains that some anticipate difficulties.

” We say four days, but if we want to be precise, it’s 15% personal time, so it’s 5.5 hours of personal time per week “

Ms. said. Turcotte that he had to make some accommodations to reconcile his work time and his personal life. Since we welcome employees on Monday, sometimes I planned to take Monday, but there, I want to be there for the meeting. So often, I do the integration in the morning and I go home in the afternoon to do my personal things.

A question of adaptation

Because business partners are constantly on a five -day schedule, it sometimes becomes difficult to match employee holidays to customer requirements.

It is adaptation on both sidessaid Frédéric Beaudoin, marketing agent within the company. You need to maintain an opening on both sides. If there’s an important meeting, we go, we don’t complain. But management is also expected to respect the leavehe says.

Although logistics demands increased, the company did not intend to drop the project. In the context of a labor shortage, entering the CV is very important. 10 new employees were hired within six months.

” We have no officially posted position. We are not in a recruiting campaign, and we are still receiving CVs. “

Within six months, the company receives CVs from highly qualified people. An employee who leaves the company has to return to his or her position, having been notified of the four -day establishment within the company.

Flexibility, to promote employee retention and happiness at work

According to a youth study presented by the firm Léger in 2022, in addition to job security and salary, the possibility for young people to get a flexible schedule is a determining factor for job happiness.

Jessica Rioux Turcotte has no intention of working for a company that doesn’t allow for her flexibility. It will be difficulthe let go. Honestly, if I lose my job tomorrow morning, I will try to negotiate for myself, within the 32 hour limit, I am willing to accept the loss of salary.

Thus, quality of working life remains one of the major concerns of young workers. Diffusion Solutions Intégrées is fully aware of this and offers incentives to its employees who retain them.

There is information from Magalie Masson