A business owner who has given his staff a four-day week without a pay cut is urging others to do the same, saying his staff are happier and healthier as a result.
Since March 2020 staff at Slunks salon in Cardiff have been turning up for work one day less a week but have still taken home the same amount of cash.
Joel McCauley, who opened the business in Morgan Arcade more than a decade ago, said he always planned to move to a shorter working week but decided to accelerate plans when the pandemic hit.
Now his full-time staff all work four-day weeks, while part-time staff have had pay rises.
The only members of staff working more than four-days week are apprentices, who will be offered the same benefits once they qualify.
Joel, who lives in Newport, said: ‘Covid-19 has been incredibly stressful for industries like hairdressing but it’s highlighted some of the issues that have always existed – you can be in a perpetual cycle: work, food, sleep.
‘People don’t always realise but working in hairdressing can be extremely draining. I’ve worked in salons where we were worked like dogs.
‘Anxiety is rampant in the industry and I’ve suffered with anxiety and depression and it can mainly be attributed to the amount of hours I was working. I got burnout.’
After seeing the positive impact working a four-day week has had on his staff, Joel is encouraging other businesses to follow suit.
‘This is simply a better, healthier way of working,’ he said.
‘I genuinely think we aren’t meant to work full-time – how many people do you know who are constantly overworked and unhappy about it?
‘When you have more time you can think about life in a different way. At work you’re likely to have more energy and fewer non-productive days.’
Joel said thanks to a four-day week, he and his staff felt better and productivity had improved.
‘The pandemic has given us an opportunity to do things differently – to change the way we treat people, young people especially, and the way we set up society for people in the future – let’s take it,’ he added.
Chelsea Thompson, the salon’s manager, agreed with her boss.
‘I live a 45-minute drive away from work so I’m commuting less and, when I’m in work, I’m definitely more focused, she said.
‘Since we’ve started the four-day week everyone says they’re happier. People feel well-rested, mentally prepared.
‘It’s sad that society has got to the point where people feel like they’re working to live.
‘Time is precious – I really hope other workplaces follow and we can all start leading a more balanced life.’
According to a new report by Wales’ future generations commissioner and the think tank Autonomy, there is a ‘major appetite’ for a reduction in the working week in the country.
Sophie Howe, Wales’ future generations commissioner, said ‘the working week has not changed for more than 100 years’ and called for more businesses to look at adopting the move.
Around 30 companies in the UK are currently taking part in a trial for a four-day working week.
Announced in January, the six-month pilot has been launched by Four-Day Week Global in partnership with Autonomy, the Four-Day Week UK Campaign, and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Boston College.
The UK pilot is running alongside other trials across the US, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Several studies have shown that moving to a four-day week boosts productivity and the wellbeing of staff.
When Microsoft trialled a four-day week with no loss of pay in their Japan office, productivity went up by 40%.
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