During the student union Helga’s board meeting on 29.4. we decided to start a 4-day work week experiment. The experiment will last from June to November, during which Helga’s executive director and the three specialists will work from Monday to Thursday. The experiment has no effect on staff salaries or other benefits.
The main purpose of the experiment is the development of personnel well-being and work efficiency, which are known to go hand in hand. Working in a student union is very hectic, and in an ever-changing work environment, it is important that employees have the opportunity to rest and recover from work. I firmly believe that with the help of a 4-day work week, we will achieve the best result, both for Helga and for the students, when our employees are as stress-free as possible and enthusiastic about their work.
For me, as a supervisor, it is above all important that work is not a necessary evil, which is only done for money, but a place for self-improvement and building a better tomorrow for both ourselves and the students. With this experiment, we want to act as an example of a working community where the interests and well-being of the students are pursued while also keeping the well-being of the employees in mind.
I see the four-day work week as the direction we as a society should strive for. This is a change that is easiest to start with expert positions like Helga, which already allows for extensive flexibility. The four-day work week has previously been widely tried in, for example, Finland, Sweden and Great Britain, and the positive results obtained from these have convinced us that it is worth at least giving it a try.
The experiment will certainly bring new challenges to our operations, but as an organization that is highly capable of change, I believe that we will survive this with good preparation and open communication. During the experiment, we will closely monitor the specialist’s workload and other effects, and if necessary, the experiment can be stopped if we feel that it is not producing the desired results.
