Working Only Four Days a Week: This Is the New Trend Some Brazilian Companies Are Adopting

A New Trend of Working Only Four Days a Week Is Becoming Popular in Brazil and Other Countries. According to Experts, Productivity Does Not Decrease and Employees Feel More Energized. 

With the advent of hybrid work in various companies during the pandemic, working only four days a week has become a possibility for some people in countries that are starting to test the idea of reducing working hours to expand productivity, no matter how contradictory that may seem. Among them are the United Kingdom, Belgium, Japan, New Zealand, and Portugal.

Brazil May Adopt Four-Day Work Weeks

In Iceland, two trials in companies showed that reducing working hours resulted in no loss of productivity or drop in performance. On the other hand, employees reported lower stress levels.

Companies in Brazil have started to include the country on this list. The main change proposed by them is to give employees an extra day off per week, in addition to Saturday and Sunday, without any reduction in salaries.

Even though it may seem that the routine of working for four business days will become more intense, in order to maintain the number of tasks and meetings in a shorter period, that is not what happens in practice, according to representatives of Brazilian companies.

Since 2020, Wednesdays have disappeared from the professional calendar of almost the entire team at the pet products company Zee.Dog. Only the logistics and retail areas, which cannot stop in the middle of the week, continue with their usual routine.

According to Thadeu Diz, co-founder and creative director of the company, the goal is to encourage greater focus at the beginning and end of the week, with a day to clear the mind in the middle, promoting a balance between professional and personal life.

5G Brings New Possibilities for Those Who Want to Work Only Four Days a Week

Another case is that of the communication agency Shoot, which is fully virtual and decided to adopt the practice of working only four days since the beginning of this year.

The team was divided into two groups, where some employees have Fridays off and others have Mondays off. According to the company’s partner, Luciano Braga, the decision came from recognizing how tired employees felt from work even after days with fewer tasks.

The partner emphasizes that the team is more engaged and also more relaxed. Productivity has not increased significantly, but the company has maintained the level, which is already of great importance.

Shoot did not adopt this policy to become more productive, but it was a consequence, as was the improvement in employees’ self-management. Braga believes that the five-day work week is already dated and that companies with better options will stand out in attracting talent among the most qualified professionals.

Working Only Four Days Is Already a Trend in a Company from Minas Gerais 

Crawly, from Belo Horizonte, used this strategy long before it became a trend during the pandemic. The data intelligence company has already adopted this shorter week for four years.

Initially, the benefit was given only to developers, with the aim of attracting employees given the shortage of professionals in the IT market. According to Luísa Lana, financial manager at Crawly, the strategy has been used by other companies in the sector.

To implement the change, schedules were adjusted to make deliveries only on Thursdays. With an additional day off, employees feel more motivated to deliver better service and remain at the company, says the executive.