Future of Work Roundup: April 28th

This week’s Future of Work Roundup includes why you need to have the right workplace comms so your people feel heard, plus the ever-evolving shift of preferred hybrid work schedules.

To prevent employee turnover, invest in your workforce and work comms. (PwC)

As we know, the Great Resignation is a hot topic these days. And if you care about keeping your people around (and, wow, if you don’t, you really should), here’s what PwC suggests you do, based on their recent study.

Unsurprisingly, people want to be heard. So, listen.

• Along with having hybrid options and the right tech for effective work, stats show that purposeful communication is the key to employee retention. 
• In fact, the top survey response on steps to combat turnover was increasing communication between leadership and employees. As it turns out, what really matters to folks is that they feel like they can speak up when something is amiss, and that HR and leadership will listen – and respond accordingly. 

The bottom line: One of the best ways to keep your team happy is to increase communication between employees and leaders (and have the right comms to do so effectively) so everyone stays in the loop.

4-day work weeks might be closer than you think. (CNBC)

Work smarter, not harder. That’s what we all want, right? Maybe it’s time your org jumps on the bandwagon – that thousands of folks have already jumped on – and move to a 4-day workweek.

Yes! A thousand times, yes!

• Yeah, that’s what we thought. The idea is simple: scoot down from 40 hours a week to 32 hours during Monday through Thursday, and be just as effective.
• The org 4 Day Week Global, associated with the University of Oxford, has helped teams abroad execute and manage their 4-day work weeks. They call this a 100-80-100 model: Workers receive 100% of their pay for 80% of the time and maintain 100% productivity.
• Now, the U.S. is getting on board. 10,000 people started this test at the beginning of April, in businesses as small as 25-people startups to large orgs with several hundred. 

The bottom line: Stats show that 92% of people support this shift, and say it would improve their mental health and productivity. So, theoretically, you’d get happier employees that also want to stick around… and 3-day weekends every weekend? Sounds like a win-win-win.

Folks only want to be in the office 2 days a week, at most. (Wall Street Journal)

If the 4-day work week feels too drastic, consider easing in with this; scale back the suggested number of days in-office. Research from Stanford shows that one to two days a week is the sweet spot.

Thanks for listening, leadership.

• Companies that tried to do four to five days a week were met with, “a lot of complaining and a lot of quitting.” So, they met in the middle, shifting to a recommended two to three days a week. But now? It’s looking like one to two is what people really prefer.
• Reminder: it’s all about listening to your employees. Stats show time and time again how much more productive people are when at home. But it really depends on the individuals and their unique preference. 

The bottom line: Give people options, and don’t hold them to anything they don’t want to do – because, if so, soon they may not be there.