As we come out of lockdown, many charities are considering hybrid working, with a flexible split of time between working at home or in the office. Recently a few charities have announced they are taking this a step further, by spreading the normal working hours over 4 days instead of 5, with staff taking Monday or Friday off. Staff would still work the same total hours for the same pay, just spread over a day less.
The advantages of this option could be:
- Better retention of existing staff, who won’t want to move elsewhere and give up the 4 day week
- More attractive proposition for new recruits
- More productive and engaged teams
- Wellness and reduced stress benefits
- Less time spent commuting and reduced travel costs for staff
However, this clearly won’t work in every situation:
- Where customers expect the staff to be available 5 days a week and no one suitable can cover
- Where there could be childcare issues on the extended hours of the 4 longer days
- Productivity may fall with extra long hours on the 4 days
We would encourage charities to consider this option at the same time they consider other forms of flexible working
The next steps
For more information, please contact Roger Merchant or your usual UHY adviser.
