Bristol Live readers have been debating the recent talks about potentially introducing a four-day working week at Bristol City Council The council is considering this move in an effort to become a more appealing employer and tackle its recruitment issues.
Following successful trials elsewhere that have shown increased productivity, better staff wellbeing, higher retention, and less sickness absence, the idea is gaining momentum.
Labour Councillor Zoe Peat pointed out the recruitment hurdles the council is facing, underlining the importance of becoming more competitive as an employer. She suggested that moving towards a four-day work week could be a key strategy, saying, “There’s numerous benefits to this. It would make us more competitive so we would spend less on recruitment.”
The move towards a four-day working week is part of a wider strategy to improve staffing, recruitment, and retention at Bristol City Council. The potential benefits include making the council more competitive as an employer, boosting staff morale, and saving money on recruitment.
One reader, 6470 believes: “You can’t get the council to anything on a 5 days week, this will just give them another excuse not to answer e-mails etc. I have been waiting 10 days for a answer to a e-mail nothing yet.”
While CharlesBridge states: “This one is a stunt too far it’s a scandal & and outrage. Most of the employees at BCC would not be good enough or suitable to be employed in the productive private economy. With minimal skills, questionable motivation and record-breaking sickness records no one would hire them.
“They are lavished with juicy pensions, do little work, have on-mass WFH and have cringeworthy levels of sick days. On this basis, BCC should put the entire workforce on minimum wage zero-hour contracts without sick pay, and they can pay for their pensions. Millions of hard-working people have that as a job, are you too good for it council workers?”
Shadower asks: “How long before the demand for a 3-day week appears?”
Antigov says: “If you want workers to work longer hours you need to go back to the days of time & half & double time pay a decent wage.”
Bs3bob writes: “No need for council employees to work more hours, just all of their contracted ones. My aunt works for the council and it’s amazing how much non-council work she gets done whilst working from home. That’s not to say she doesn’t get all her allotted work done, she does, but often she has lots of ‘down time’ to get on with things around the house.”
Junius1 adds: “The British business bank website identifies two types of four day week- i) compressing the hours of a five day week into four days or ii) reducing hours of work but keeping the same rate of pay. In the first case, although employees may like an extra rest day, increasing daily hours of work can create extra stress. In the second case, it would only pay the business or local authority if there is a corresponding increase in productivity to make up for the reduced hours of work. An employer or local authority would save on energy costs for the extra non-working day.”
So do you agree with the proposals for a 4-day week? Let us know in the comments below or HERE.