People have begun to realise that energy consumption can be checked by reducing the time spent by employees in offices. Therefore, many companies have adopted strategies like reducing the number of days in a workweek. While I believe there are certain drawbacks of this trend, the advantages are far more.
There are many advantages to the employers of closing offices for some days a week. Firstly, it leads to a substantial reduction of office expenses in terms of electricity consumption, water usage and fuel costs. Secondly, the reduced workweek improves the productivity of employees and thereby compensates for the hours lost. This makes them go back to work the next day with added zeal and enthusiasm. Finally, companies offering such working conditions are more attractive for potential employees.
Similarly, reduction in the working days can benefit the employees immensely. To begin with, this extra day off could give them the much-needed time for themselves and their families. So, this would not only be beneficial for family relationships but also for people’s mental health as they would be able to relax and reduce their work stress. Workers can also join some physical activity on these days, and this can help address problems like obesity and back ache caused by a sedentary work environment.
On the other hand, this shortened workweek can also have certain negative effects. Primarily, it may affect the work-output and reduce the earning of employees especially those who work on daily wages. Additionally, considering the competition faced by the companies and the targets they have to achieve within the given deadlines, this policy could have detrimental effects on the companies’ performance.
To sum up, although there are minor disadvantages to this system, shorter workweeks can have benefits to individuals and companies themselves, and so it is certainly a worthwhile proportion.