Banca Intesa San Paolo announced that the work week will no longer consist of 5 days, the classic Monday-Friday, but of 4 days (workers’ choice) for an amount of 36 hours. And that’s not all… The hours will be flexible, the employee will be free to decide to start working between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. until they reach 9 hours. All without any change on pay. Are we dreaming…?
We are used to devoting much of our day to work, actually, much of our life. Most people work Monday through Friday, 8 hours a day. This would actually be a dream… Because people who live close to their work are just a few. Most of them are forced to commute, thus stretching their workday by at least two hours, between round trip, public transportation or car… just to get to their office. In the end, we are busy from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., devoting a not inconsiderable amount of our days to work. Are we really happy to give up all this precious time exclusively to work?
The first countries to adopt this new mode were Belgium and the UK and the results are more than positive. According to Autonomy Work, which thoroughly analysed the 4-day work week, companies’ revenues still increased, more than half of workers were able to devote more time to their personal lives, and almost 40% feel more serene and less stressed.
So why this choice? The goal is to give employees a work-life balance while also showing interest in mental well-being. Moreover, these innovative ways of working are just what we young people are looking for. Let’s remember that having happy and satisfied employees is one of the biggest goals for a company!
What do you think, will it work here in Italy as well?
