Comcen 4 Day Week has left us wondering whether our offices are still working for us?

We have discovered Roomz, particularly myROOMZ  app app which efficiently manages Flex Office organisation and hybrid workspaces. Roomz can prepare your organisation for the new way of working.  Adding floorplan visualizations is often complex and expensive. ROOMZ lets you easily manage your buildings, upload floorplans and link it to your Meeting rooms, Huddle spaces and Shared desks. Once configured you will see floorplan views with TV-signage, in ROOMZ analytics tools or in combination with myROOMZ. All your employees have access to an easy tool to find and book available spaces. Very easy setup, no installation required. ROOMZ is the most straightforward and easiest-to-deploy solution to support and create the most efficient and hybrid work environments for the future.

Here’s more about the 4 Day Week

According to 4dayweek 78% of employees working a 4-day week are less stressed and happier.

All employees have a variety of interests and activities outside of work along with varying workloads. To ensure the 4-day working week for all staff, an alternating rota has been managed within the team to make sure all are happy and organised to a high level. The buddy system has also helped the movement run smoothly when staff are off, you can trust your buddy to take on the workload and vice versa.

4-day work week can seem daunting to employees with large workloads, as sometimes even 5 days isn’t enough to complete tasks. The change requires experimentation with strategies to ensure time management on tasks, as well as knowing when to stop looking at emails. It’s no surprise that employees go home and are still in work mode, trying to tie up loose ends, wanting to help the team and customers out as much as possible. The dedication doesn’t have to be reduced but instead creating innovative methods to manage it within the 4 days, and communications with the team. A positive that has already resulted from the 4-day work week is the enhancement of team building.

Research has shown that the ‘Gen x’ can’t resist checking emails, even when on holiday. Sometimes known as the generation of workaholics who find it hard to book time out for themselves. The challenge of change takes time to become the new normal. Who would have thought that weekends didn’t used to exist?

Weekends were officially created by John Boot in 1934 which resulted in a reduction in absentees and increased productivity levels. Turning a working week into 4 days has been an idea since the 60’s as well as going down to an even further 3-day week.

The new generations coming into the workplace expect a 4-day work week with extra benefits both non-financial and financial. Providing benefits for new recruits attracts and retains staff and gives them more motivation to succeed at their roles. Promoting and inspiring a modern way of working and boosting employee performance along with reducing absent levels.  According to the California Management Review, younger workers prefer the 4-day work week more than older employees.

Research has shown that individuals who have more activities and hobbies are more enthusiastic about the extra day off over those who don’t have extra leisure activities. Mental health and wellbeing are at the centre of the change to a 4-day work week. With 4 days in and 3 days off work is still takes the majority of the week, providing a better work-life balance, and a decrease in stress levels.

Some tips for making it work:

1. Focus your time and prioritise tasks with less time to ‘dither’ and procrastinate.
2. Manage meetings around the 4 days and create a sustainable method that suits both employee and customer. (Alter schedules)
3. Deciding if meetings are essential or unnecessary.
4. The compressed work week doesn’t mean longer working days, make the time to block out time for you to recharge.
5. Team orientated workforce enabled to succeed at targets and goals, strengthening the office environment, happiness levels and trust.
6. Employee empowerment – Trusting employees to manage tasks and organise their flexible working patterns, giving back control.
7. Reviews between management and staff – to monitor and manage.
8. Automate where possible.

Some challenges that can arise from the change is the disruption in childcare arrangements, however the 4-day week could open the option to save costs on childcare. The extra day can be used for the little appointments we face in life such as dental, doctor, and events such as weddings. There is no longer the need to take a day’s holiday. The simple benefits become the most appreciated over time.

Employees at Comcen are using their extra day off for a range of reasons. The time to learn new skills and start new hobbies. Some staff enjoy having a day to focus on housework and food shops, some take it to allocate a day to their pets, and some to improve lifestyle!

Often people find the weekend is there to recover from the long working week, now with 4 days it allows extra time to focus on what matters such as family time. Office working can result in health issues including fatigue and tiredness, with frequent breaks, flexi working, and the extra day it will decrease the health issues that can occur.

Some companies have reduced office spaces due to remote working, which supports the environment. At Comcen our offices are still currently essential and provides a face-to-face work option which provides a natural balance for all individuals. An environmental benefit to come from this change is the reduction in commuting to work, which is also saving fuel costs. Offices are also adapting to the changes by installing more tech to have high quality meetings which seem life like. Years have passed and some companies have found they have not purchased the best tech solutions and are now looking to update to higher quality products. Tech is constantly evolving and offering more solutions.

Roomz Making your Office Intelligent

Is your office still working for you?

Have you outdated your office? Feel like your office is stuck in the land before time?
If you answered yes to any of the above, then we can fix that!
A lot has changed since 2019 with our working environments and how we communicate. Contact our Sales Team to discuss options on how we can turn your space into a modern and intelligent workspace which makes your job easier. Book your meeting room with the MyRoomz app and see which room is free to use. You will be wowed by the digital visual floor plan for your hybrid workforce.

Efficiently manage your workspaces

Roomz products work for all types of workspaces through a cloud-based system. Use your existing calendar to sync with the display, or directly book (‘Hot booking’) and choose duration on the display. With 2 years display battery your intelligent workspace can be relied upon, allowing you to focus on what matters. Occupancy sensor releases rooms and provides analytics in your room booking system. Fed up with trying to hide cables? with Roomz there are no cables needed! It is WIFI connected, low power usage, secure, and easy to install. Roomz has also released its eco-friendly solution, a solar kit to power displays providing lower power solutions. Flightboard is a URL which can be displayed on a smart TV that you have which will show meeting room availability. Find Out More

A pronouncement from Paul Samuelson, economist – found from the California Management Review
“Progress comes from technical invention, and we shall be ever grateful to the discoverer of fire, the inventor of the electric dynamo, and the perfecter of hollandaise sauce. But there are also momentous inventions…”  The 4-day work week change is history in the making for future generations to provide a better life and to heighten morale.