I’m often asked by employers in FE what benefits they should offer.
Do you know what is instantly dismissed? 4 day weeks.
I don’t mean part time, I mean 5 day week salary but working 4 days.
Innovating with a benefit like this boosts employee morale, productivity and work-life balance. Not to mention the fact that you’ll become an employer of choice, stop having to compete on salary only and it’s great PR.
In fact, you could even go so far as to advocate for 4 day week apprenticeships. Now there’s an idea.
Often the reason being that employer clients work 5 days so they should mirror that.
It’s got me thinking. Is anyone offering it? If not, why not? And, how could they? 👇
1. Rotating coach schedules.
It ensures clients have access to coaches 5 days per week without overburdening staff. This may involve some job sharing.
2. Flexible working hours.
You could extend working hours on the 4 days to ensure a comparable level of work is done.
3. Intelligent scheduling and tech implementation.
Become more efficient operationally and leverage tech (such as AI) to get more done in less time.
4. Remote support.
On their 5th day, coaches could provide remote emergency support ensuring clients/learners have assistance over 5 days. It’s not a true 4 day week, but it’s a step in the right direction and an improvement on 5 days.
5. Client education.
Act as a proponent of a 4 day week and pass the lessons onto your employer clients. Need inspiration? Follow Phil McParlane for ideas.
6. Finally, run a trial period.
You don’t have to commit long term but you can run an experiment and see what happens. Structured correctly, you have little to lose and everything to gain.
Has any of this hit home?
If you work in the sector, would it be attractive to you?
Also, let me know if you offer this already, I would love to find out more.