Following a successful trial in partnership with 4 Day Week Global, Hutch has announced that the company will continue to offer four day working weeks to its 150+ employees worldwide in a policy which will be reviewed annually.
Proponents for a four day working week argue that the greater work life balance offered by reducing days worked can lead to greater wellbeing for employees while maintaining stable productivity.
Following the successful trial, Hutch were satisfied that the new policy didn’t adversely affect the performance of employees, and also resulted in lower turnover rates and higher job offer acceptance.
During the trial, Hutch worked closely with experts to support staff whole providing data to researchers from Oxford University and Boston College to build a case for a three-day week, with the results to be released in February 2023.
A four-day future?
As the four-day week is adopted as the official Hutch policy, the company is making other adjustments to the programme to support its long-term success. This includes bi-monthly team days, pro-rated holidays, two hour no-meeting slots, and a dedicated quiet zone within offices.
“The trial taught us a great deal about making the most of the time we have, and how to pin down what Hutch needs to build on what we do well,” said Hutch CEO Shaun Rutland. “A key learning from the trial is that productivity should not be valued by time spent on tasks, instead we needed to ensure that we were focused on outputs. The way we work and how we spend our time day to day has improved as a result, helped by our Hutchies feeling refreshed after a three-day weekend. There are challenges we will still need to resolve and better ways of working to be tested, but we’re excited to put this into practice in the new year.”
