We’re starting the year with great news here! If you’ve been following Raízes, you’ve probably noticed that we strive for quality of life for everyone involved – including ourselves, the team, and the consultants. That’s why we’re experimenting with the 4-day week here this year!
But how does it work?
The 4-day work week was spearheaded by 4 Day Week Global, the world’s leading organization that aims to change the future of work and transform it into something smarter, reshaping the way we think about work, productivity, and production.
A survey carried out by WeWork and Page Outsourcing with 10,000 professionals from five Latin American countries, including Brazil, shows that 78% of those interviewed say they would change jobs because of flexibility issues. In addition, 83% of Brazilians surveyed are interested in reducing working hours.
According to tests carried out last year here in Brazil by 4-Day Week Global, the change in working hours brings benefits such as increased productivity and focus, improved well-being and work-life balance, stimulates creativity and innovation, and attracts and retains talent.
What will the 4-day week be like at Raízes?
We know that balancing free time and work is one of the urgent needs of our time. We made a video last year talking about decent work for all, the SDG 8 we’re trying to contribute to, did you see it?
The 4-day (or 32-hour) week has been adopted by different companies in various forms. The aim is to concentrate quality work in less time and free up space in the diary; so that we can carry out those tasks that get squeezed into too few hours in the week (a doctor’s appointment, a bank issue, a haircut), read more, exercise outdoors, practice creative hobbies, connect with the people who matter to us.
In practice, what changes here at Raízes is that we won’t be scheduling fixed project appointments or company commitments on Fridays, so the working week will end on Thursday. However, just as we already work evenings and weekends, Fridays can be used in this context when necessary to meet beneficiaries’ and clients’ schedules and events.
In addition, people remain free to carry out their tasks at the most appropriate times. But from Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 6 pm is the official time window for meetings, team exchanges, and administrative transactions.
To avoid a drop in productivity, Fridays will be working days in the weeks when there is a holiday from Monday to Thursday, thus maintaining 4 working days as planned in the 4-Day Week Global.
Raízes employees will be able to follow the Raízes Agenda on Google Calendar to see when Friday is, and which optional holidays we will or will not be working on, among other important information.
The 4-day week is already being successfully implemented in other countries besides Brazil, and we’re confident that by adopting this idea we’ll be able to be more productive and have more moments to enjoy the life that passes so quickly.
What do you think of this initiative for 2024?
