Reduced working hours: Pros and Cons

The working day has been, for years, one of the biggest issues of conflict within the Human Resources department. In order to ensure that workers live a little better every year, a series of parameters have been established in which we see how putting in fewer hours could lead to more performance.

However, what does this mean for the economic contribution? Spending fewer hours on the job will (also) mean earning less money. It's about work and money, so you should do a prior analysis to avoid all kinds of mistakes. In this blog we are going to analyze the pros and cons of reducing the working day.

Pros of reducing the working day

Reducing the workday is the same as working less time, but this doesn't necessarily translate into doing less work. Most of the times that this change has been implemented in a company, they have found employees who are motivated, with reduced stress and free from distraction.

Yes, you're working shorter hours, but this forces you to be less distracted and more productive in your working hours. This means optimized task planning, increased physical and mental rest.

Benefits:

Better life for the employee

This is the main objective of reducing working hours and that is, if we take into account the number of hours that are in our favor, we will know how we can take care of our family, spend time with them and enjoy a much higher quality.

Retaining talent

With an adapted working day, we will achieve that Employee feels more involved with the company, which has delivered the convenience that everyone craves. We will get a committed person who will not abandon us in difficult times.

Fewer sick leave

The increases in occupational safety are also notable. Reducing the working day may end up reducing burnout at work, as well as improving the concentration of workers, who will now have a productive approach in favor of complying with and intervening in business projects.

Increased work well-being

With the reduction in working hours the Occupational well-being is more than guaranteed The fact is that many people have seen their lives improve thanks to the time they dedicate to their family, friends or themselves as individuals.

Good productivity

Productivity in the company we work for is something that every brand needs from its employees and, with the reduction, it seems that something much better could be achieved than what we have known until now. This, which is what all companies are looking for, seems to be one of the main reasons for their execution.

Cons of reducing the working day

In some specific types of companies, reducing the working day can be counterproductive. For example, in manufacturing companies, it could happen that the weekly production objective is not reached, thus reducing sales. On the other hand, this can contribute to the replacement of human labor with fully automated processes.

In this regard, this can lead to wage reductions. Although this would be a negative situation caused by the employers themselves. People would work shorter hours, carry out the same workload, but even so, their salaries would be negatively affected.

How to reduce working hours and increase productivity

Reducing the working day in your company can be the first step in increasing productivity. However, on its own, this action is not enough. What you need in this case is a good transition strategy in your company. Below, we can show you some tips.

Set weekly goals for each department

Employees need to have clear, measurable, and attainable goals. Create a follow-up program so they can complete it and feel motivated to meet the weekly goals you've set.

Train your workers

At the same time, a previous training process is necessary in terms of productivity. Reducing the workload may mean less work, but you should let them know that it's a measure to improve everyone's performance. Of course, in order not to end motivation, do not reduce salaries.

‍

‍

In short, the reduction in working hours has many more benefits than cons in sight. However, there are many companies that still have doubts about the effects, about how it will affect the business and especially those employees who are leaving their skin behind. In any case, it seems that there are a significant number of companies that have started betting on it.