According to CNBC, longer vacations and shorter workweeks are a potential in the years ahead. This is due to advancements in technology and shifting work cultures.
Technology and culture shifts have been increasing employees’ productivity, too. Richard Branson, a serial entrepreneur, told CNBC that “technology enables people to work when and where they want,” and “increases the efficiency of work,” which means “people could work fewer hours.”
Technology advancements like autonomous vehicles, drones, and even the future of pilotless planes are helping employees with their jobs. They are also accelerating marketplaces to smarter working practices, including better balance between employees’ working lives and personal lives.
“Many people out there would love three day or even four day weekends,” he said. “There are many people out there who would want to job share, and would love longer holidays. Everyone would welcome more time to spend with their loved ones, more time to get fit and healthy, more time to explore the world…By working more efficiently, there is no reason why people can’t work less hours and be equally – if not more – effective.”
In fact, it’s already been proven that employees are taking to these shifts, and businesses are gaining from them. For example, CNBC reports that a New Zealand firm conducted a two-month trial where its 240 employees worked four days a week at their regular 5-day workweek pay. “It was considered a success: Staff stress levels lowered 7 percent, and 78 percent said they could manage work-life balance, from only 54 percent pre-trial,” CNBC said.
The study also showed that morale and good will were boosted in employees, too. Based on the positive results, employees felt that the time off was a “gift,” which made them feel “a deep sense of goodwill and reciprocity” towards their employer, influencing them to “go the extra mile.” Employees in the study were also reported to have offered up some of the time during their days off to help the company.
As a result, it seems that the give and take between employers and employees with technology and work culture is paying off. Happy employees means happy employers. Technology helps companies provide opportunities like more time off, which inspires a sense of happiness and satisfaction in employees; content employees feel like they want to give back to their employer, sparking extra effort and productivity, and more success for the business.
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