The boss of a software firm with workers in Belfast says they've had a record quarter after moving to a four-day working week earlier this year.
David Richards is the CEO of WANdisco, a data company with a software development office in the Gasworks in Belfast, where they have about 30 staff.
He said the move came about by initially banning Friday Zoom meetings during the pandemic.
Read more: The Belfast firm working out the 'pain lists' of a four day week
"We found that there was an increase in productivity when people were working from home and we were actually fearful of burnout, so we phased it in that there would be no meetings on Fridays," he said.
"We brought in quizzes and things with each other instead, because we found that meeting times were actually cut down as well with virtual meetings.
"Productivity has gone up 25% and it is a full four day week, not five days squeezed into four.
"People prefer to be with family and friends, picking up kids from school etc.
"Our attrition rate, losing people following the pandemic in the great resignation as it was called, went down to nearly zero."
WANdisco has joint headquarters in San Ramon, California and Sheffield, England with offices in Newcastle upon Tyne, China, Japan, Australia and South Korea, as well as Belfast.
The Sheffield-born software boss said there were initial concerns from staff about how it might affect their salaries and whether there were any ulterior motives.
He said his home city and Belfast have a lot in common when it comes to how people from there view things.
"What tends to happen in Belfast, because we don't get many nice things historically, because everything tends to go to London first, we get suspicious and think what's the catch?," he said.
"From our staff in Belfast, it was, 'Am I still going to get paid the same amount of money', or 'Is it too good to be true?'
"And the answer was no, it's simply enlightened self-interest.
"Last quarter, the company performed better than it has for a long time and I would partially put that down to a four day week."
David acknowledged that the four day working week is not an option for every sector.
"A trial that does things like fish and chip shops is ludicrous and that may then give false negatives," he added.
"It does work in manufacturing and it certainly works in office and companies like us.
"It's going to be harder in places like retail."
He also said staff still worked eight hour days on their full salary, but there had been a greater emphasis on stripping back the parts of the day where time or effort was wasted.
"Human beings can achieve the same output by being naturally more efficient," he said.
"If you tell people it's an eight hour day then you will find a way to fill eight hours, same with six hours.
"It's about empowerment - we have unlimited paid vacation in the company as well, people can take as much or as little as they want - so it's about trust and empowerment.
"If you have good people, you should be able to trust them.
"Most of our staff work from home and do so brilliantly, and it's thanks to the pandemic for that because if it hadn't been for the pandemic we wouldn't have been in this position."
READ NEXT
- Tech company announces four-day working week for Belfast staff to avoid 'burnouts'
- Four day week with full pay being looked at by Belfast City Council
- 70 companies begin trial of four-day week with no loss of pay
- Derry firm says four day working week has been 'life-changing' for staff
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
