HR expert assessed the chances of a massive transition to a four-day work week

The four-day workweek remains one of the most discussed models of labor organization, but its mass implementation in Russia is still unlikely. Despite expectations of increased productivity and an improved work-life balance, in practice, a shortened schedule is not suitable for all industries. Valentina Romanova, HR Director of the Level Group, told Izvestia about this on July 12.

According to the expert, an additional day off does not always reduce the burden on employees. On the contrary, international studies show that pilot projects to switch to a four-day week can increase stress levels by about 27%. The main reason is the discrepancy in work schedules with clients, contractors and other companies.

"Due to out-of-sync with partners and related departments, employees are starting to burn out faster. There is a "stolen weekend" effect: formally, a person is resting, but continues to receive calls, messages and feels guilty for his unavailability. It is almost impossible to completely disconnect from work tasks in such conditions," Romanova explained.

The expert believes that for development and other industries with continuous business processes, a four-day work week is unlikely to become a mass practice in the coming years. It is especially difficult to implement such a format in fast-growing companies, where even one additional day off can disrupt work processes and interaction with counterparties.

At the same time, it is not necessary to completely exclude such a model. According to Romanova, a flexible schedule in which the fifth day remains a working day, but involves part-time employment, may be a more realistic option in managerial positions.

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The shortened schedule looks the most promising for manufacturing enterprises and areas where work is initially based on a shift basis. In the construction industry, the introduction of a four-day week is possible only with an increase in the number of staff and the transition to rolling schedules, which will require significant additional costs.

In office units, the four-day schedule can also be applied individually, if the absence of an employee does not affect the work of the team and does not increase the burden on colleagues.

According to the HR director, so far in Russia there are no examples of a complete transition of large companies to a four-day working week, therefore it is premature to consider such a format as a serious competitive advantage of employers. Today, applicants are more attracted to interesting tasks, clear career prospects, flexible working conditions and a high-quality social package.

Anton Kotyakov, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation, said on July 5 that in Russia, current labor legislation allows employers and employees to switch to various working week formats by mutual agreement, including both a four-day and a six-day regime. According to him, each company has the right to independently build the most convenient working time format within the framework of current regulations.