A Toronto-based company is trying out a four-day work week for the next six months
The concept of a four-day work week continues to make headlines in Toronto and elsewhere, namely because it's incredibly popular with employees and boosts productivity, and now another company is piloting the idea.
Praxis PR, a Toronto-based company with additional offices in Montreal and Los Angeles, announced this week that it will be one of 60 North American companies participating in a global pilot, coordinated by non-profit 4 Day Week Global, to test the viability of a four-day work week.
"There's no catch," says associate partner and general manager Matt Juniper of the move. "We're not asking employees to shift to four, 10-hour days. Employees will not receive a reduction in compensation. We're simply learning to work smarter not longer."
For the next six months, employees at the company will receive the same compensation while only working 80 per cent of their current hours. They'll be expected to maintain the same level of productivity, but they'll work just four days instead of five, allowing them to enjoy three-day weekends.
Explaining the decision to partake in the pilot, Juniper cites the growing body of research that demonstrates that a four-day work week results in happier employees with improved physical and mental health, and higher levels of job satisfaction.
"We believe this improved work-life balance will result in a more energized and productive team, with heightened creativity and sharpened problem-solving skills, ready to bring the best of themselves to their work," he says.
Though employees will be working one fewer day, Juniper says the goal is to keep clients just as, if not more, satisfied than ever.
"The 4 Day Week Global Pilot presents an exceptional opportunity to explore the future of work," he says, "trusting our employees to optimize and enhance their productivity and rewarding them with more flexibility and a full extra day of time to rest, recover and pursue their interests and passions outside of the workplace."
