narayanmurthy has recommended 70 hours week if india is to make progress.
he may be right. hard work pays.
but is hard work good enough.
let us see an example.
in september 2023, brazil started a programme of four day workweek. three months were to be spent in preparations while the real work was to start in january 24. 22 companies joined the programme of whom one withdrew later. 70 percent applied it to entire work force while remaining chose departments where to work it out. incidentally, the workers received same pay as before. no reduction.
after the experiment, the report says –
impact at work
project execution has seen a 61.5% boost.
meeting deadlines has improved by 44.4%.
creativity and innovation have increased by 58.5%.
client acquisition has experienced a 33.3% rise.
impact on well-being
82.4% more energy for task completion
62.7% reduction in work-related stress
64.9% higher end-of-day fatigue
67.0% reduction in anxiety
impact on health
64.5% reduction in frequent work-related exhaustion
46.3% exercised more than 3x/week
27.1% increase in those who sleep more than 8 hr/night
50.0% reduction in insomnia
impact on relations
78.1% increase in energy for family and friends
57.9% consider better balance between personal and professional life
85.4% increased collaboration with colleagues
44.0% improvement in the relationship with leadership
the pioneer was a company zee dog. in february 2021, zee.dog adopted the 4-day workweek model, allowing employees to take every other wednesday off, adapting to the new normal of work while maintaining productivity.
winnin, a rio de Jjneiro-based martech startup, specializes in tracking online video consumption data. has embraced a 4-day workweek model. initiated in 2021 as a social experiment, it underwent extensive preparation, including reducing unnecessary meetings and establishing clear indices to measure success. after a one-month trial demonstrated the initiative's efficacy, winnin made the decision to implement the 4-day work week permanently. the initiative resulted in a 41.9% increase in employees' focus on their mental and physical health.
anther company founded in 2011, signifyd is a fraud protection company specializing in securing ecommerce transactions through machine learning and big data analysis. the implementation of the 4-day workweek at the firm was initiated as a response to the covid pandemic to support employee well-being and productivity and this shift was implemented permanently from 1st march 2022 and aimed to maintain operational efficiency while granting employees an additional day for personal time. it experienced a noticeable improvement in attracting top talent and retaining existing employees who valued the company’s commitment to work-life balance.
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