Whitespace Announce Commercial Partnership with Sideways 6 Read More.
In our company meeting last week it was confirmed that Whitespace will move to a four-day working week permanently for one Friday of every month and all Fridays in August and December.
At Whitespace, we are always asking ourselves ‘how do we empower our employees to have more control over their work-life balance?’ and after trialling a 4-day week in August we have decided to make it permanent!
This is part of a wider ethos of embracing modern working practices across the company. We also offer our employees remote and hybrid working and flexible options to accommodate people’s circumstances.
Some of our staff are choosing to use the Fridays for a bit of me-time, do a course, spend time with friends and family, or get their Christmas shopping done in December. It’s about giving choices and offering flexibility.
Under the new working pattern, people don’t HAVE to take the day off on a Friday. Sometimes situations mean it is not possible 100% of the time. But in those circumstances, we are giving back to these people time off in lieu to take the time back on a date that suits them.
The feedback on the back of the August trail was amazing, and our staff loved it. And critically, productivity stayed on track. This is reflective of some of the world’s most productive countries like Norway, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, that on average work around 27 hours a week (the equivalent of a four-day week). There are other advantages, such as improved employee engagement and satisfaction.