The head of a company in Auckland who's told his staff to work four days and be paid for five is calling for other companies to try the same system.
Perpetual Guardian CEO Andrew Barnes has introduce the four-day week for an eight-week trial period, and reckons the work rulebook hasn't been properly updated for a very long time.
"People are spending a huge amount of time on social media," Mr Barnes told Seven Sharp.
He said staff at the company, which handles trusts and estates, are dealing with issues from home such as plumbers, "especially when both members of the family, both adults, are working."
His solution was to gift a day so staff could deal with all those distractions.
"Essentially it's that I'll pay them for five days, they only have to work for four, provided the productivity I get in the four is equivalent to the productivity I used to get with five days."
Mr Barnes says the trial has also solved various other problems, and he wants other companies to give it a go.
"We have a fifth of our workforce, largely, that's not coming in. Now if every company in Auckland did that, what would be the impact on traffic flows?" he said.
"I don't need a big office if I've got an office that's 20 per cent smaller. You could convert a few of these office blocks into residential accommodation.
"Why wouldn't you do it?"
The four-day system has been very beneficial to Perpetual Guardian employee and new father Josh Mattingly, who takes Mondays off.
"My little girl is six months old, so it means I get to spend a lot more time with her," he said.
The arrangement is also creating staff loyalty
"I can't see myself moving on to any other place," Mr Mattingly said.
And he reckons fitting five days work into four eight-hour days is easily doable.
"I know for myself I'm always looking for ways to do things better."
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