Perpetual Guardian is a 250-person New Zealand investment company
specialized in trusts, wills and estate planning; this March and April,
the company experimented with a four-day work-week, and based on
independent academic assessment of the program, they’ve decided to make
it permanent.
The trial was prompted by the company founder’s observation that workers
were struggling to balance work and family commitments; this was borne
out by academic assessment prior to the experiment, which found that
only 54% of the staff felt they were managing to balance work and
family. After the experiment, the figure was 78% (job satisfaction also
rose).
The company reported no drop in productivity and has moved to make the
program permanent, but not mandatory. Employees who opt for a five-day
work-week will be able to work flexible, traffic-beating hours that will
also accommodate childcare logistics.
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