Revolutionising work tradition: can AI make the four-day working week a actuality? 

The growing adoption of synthetic intelligence (AI) may very well be the important thing ingredient to spice up the transition to a four-day working week, an HR knowledgeable suggests.

Ayming’s HR Barometer 2023 means that 64% of organisations assist a four-day week and this determine will improve as AI permits workers to do the identical quantity of labor in fewer hours.

The rising assist for a four-day working week follows a pilot the place 56 of the 61 collaborating companies introduced they’d lengthen the scheme after reporting a marked improve in productiveness and job satisfaction.

After the trial, 39% of workers have been much less careworn and 71% had lowered ranges of burnout. Ranges of hysteria, fatigue and sleep points decreased, whereas psychological and bodily well being additionally improved.

Analysis exhibits that 7 in 10 workers intend to ask their employer to embrace the four-day week, displaying that UK work dynamics might quickly expertise seismic modifications.

AI as a benevolent drive?

With the rising reputation of chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, the worry is expertise will change thousands and thousands of white collar roles.

PwC analysed 200,000 jobs in 29 nations and located that 3% of jobs are at potential threat of automation by early 2020s. Its report additionally revealed that 44% of staff with decrease stage training have been prone to automation by the mid-2030s.

While these figures are foreboding, generative AI has the facility to spice up productiveness and alter work tradition. Goldman Sachs estimates that AI might ultimately improve annual world GDP by 7%.

“The case for a four-day week was already sturdy, however AI might actually seal the deal for staff and set off a widespread transition to a shorter work week,” explains Scott Ward, Companion at enterprise administration consultancy Ayming UK.

“Though there may be some stage of hysteria about AI’s influence on labour wants, I’m assured job roles will adapt, and automation will tackle lots of the extra mundane duties that folks at present need to do.”

A research carried out by Ayming in January of 200 senior HR leaders within the UK discovered that 30% of companies are introducing AI or automation that may change jobs. Nonetheless, the research suggests this can enhance work life and effectivity, saving individuals time and permitting them to deal with extra necessary and rewarding duties.

While generative AI expertise like ChatGPT may very well be a risk to some job roles, Ward believes the online consequence will probably be a win for the working world. “Though this would possibly contribute to redundancies in some areas, it might equally enhance work life, making duties extra environment friendly and permitting individuals to deal with extra rewarding work.”

The altering work panorama

If the pandemic led to any classes is that work tradition is just not set in stone. Hybrid work patterns have steadily turn into the norm. Due to this fact, the four-day work week is not the pipedream it will have been a few years in the past.

In line with Ayming, workplaces are actually adopting extra versatile attitudes and worker assist.

73% of corporations again the introduction of volunteer programmes, 72% assist offering monetary steerage to assist workers handle the cost-of-living disaster, 72% are in favour of providing childcare options, and 70% assist offering remedy for workers.

These versatile attitudes, nevertheless, should not merely a symptom of employers’ goodwill. The UK is at present within the midst of a staggering fall in motivation amongst UK staff.

In line with Ayming UK, 89% of corporations reported a decline in motivation and worker engagement over the past three years. Furthermore, 26% of corporations say they’re more likely to make redundancies in 2023 and 37% are decreasing recruitment.

These statistics exhibit there are push components which can be forcing work tradition to shift to accommodate extra flexibility and worker wellbeing to retain and entice expertise. Due to this fact, employers must also be seeking to nurture environments for significant and versatile work.

Prioritising versatile working

On this bleak employment setting, employers are on the lookout for methods to implement extra perks and flexibility with out sacrificing revenue.

A four-day week might enhance worker retention and encourage extra candidates to fill vacancies. 80% of workers contemplate versatile work preparations as a deciding issue when evaluating job presents.

In line with analysis by Sonovate, 58% of UK companies at present supply versatile working in some type. This represents a 566% improve over the previous seven years.

The four-day week is the newest innovation in versatile working and will equally turn into the norm sooner or later. Due to this fact, employers who’re critically contemplating making this transition could be finest positioned to draw and retain high expertise out there.

For entrepreneurs and CEOs which can be nervous about lowering income from adopting a four-day week, AI may very well be the answer to hanging the steadiness between worker wellbeing and productiveness.