Namibia is set to pilot the 4-day work week, starting in April, for a period of six months.
According to Jonas IIeka from Pulse HR Network Namibia, who is spearheading the Namibia trial, onboarding has started for companies interested in participating in the pilot.
“We are starting in April with the actual trial. In terms of the companies, it will depend on the interest shown. We are not targeting any specific companies; it’s going to be a call for people to trial,” he told The Brief.
Regarding the likely benefits of the 4-day work week, IIeka said other studies have shown improved productivity by the workforce and profitability for companies.
“So many benefits for the employer and the employee. For employers, the results have shown from trials that productivity grows because people experience burnout less. Results also show that revenues increase, and generally, you have a happy workforce,” he said.
Addressing concerns over the country’s size compared to countries where the study has been conducted, he said, “we are trying to see if there is going to be any correlation with ours, considering our population size and other dynamics that we have here. But the trial has been done in diverse countries, and I don’t think as small as Namibia, but similar in size. It also depends on the participating companies, their sizes.”
The 4-Day Week is based on the 100-80-100 model, developed by the co-founders of 4 Day Week Global, Andrew Barnes, and Charlotte Lockhart.
The model prescribes 100% of the pay for 80% of the time in exchange for a commitment to delivering 100% of the output.
A four-day work week means employees will work one day less in the week but the same number of hours per day as before.
They will still receive their full salary and benefits. In essence, they are being paid for outputs and not for hours worked.
On their in-week off-days, workers can take care of personal, family, and lifestyle priorities, resulting in a better quality of life, mental and physical well-being, and more energy.
