Is the 4-day week a solution to attract employees and achieve full employment? In France, the phenomenon is growing. More and more companies are offering this flexibility to their employees, including large groups. This is particularly the case for Accenture, the consulting giant.
More candidates, less turnover
A little over a year ago, Accenture decided to offer even more flexibility to its employees. After teleworking and exceptional leave of absence: the week divided into 4 days or 4 and a half days. Nothing is imposed. The employee is free to choose his formula and change it whenever he wishes. Everything is organized service by service. A measure proposed in the interest of the employees but also of the company.
Today, management sees only advantages, especially in terms of recruiting. “The candidates come spontaneously because they have heard about these measures,” explains the DDH. Another positive effect: Employees are visibly less tempted to look elsewhere as, unlike many companies, turnover at Accenture is lower than it was before the Covid crisis.
10% of employees opted for the 4 days
In total, of the 10,000 Accenture employees in France, 1 in 10 have opted for the flex week. Among them, Nadia, a consultant and mother of two children, “did not hesitate at all” and has now been working for 4 and a half days. She certainly works an extra hour a day but, for her, it’s almost painless. “I only see advantages since I keep 100% of my salary and finally I have the impression of working at 90%,” she says.
Conversely, arriving at 8 am, you can better focus on your work before the rush of the day. In exchange, he benefits from half a day, that is, Wednesday afternoon “for extracurricular activities of [ses] children”, or Friday afternoons to manage “doctor appointments, shopping and, as a mother, it allows me to have a weekend dedicated 100% to my family life”.
And for her there is no doubt: it is an argument that encourages her to stay with her employer.
“The flexible week is a great advantage, like telecommuting, and I think it should be the minimum package for other companies if I had to change,” says the employee.
A solution that appeals not only to young people
For the DDH, Jacqueline Haver Droeze, all the success of the measure is based on the fact that nothing is imposed. “It’s a right, not an obligation,” she says. In fact, only a minority of employees have so far opted for this organization of working time, which obviously does not suit everyone.
On the other hand, and contrary to popular belief, this does not only attract younger employees. The elderly, too, appreciate better reconciling their professional and personal lives. It is true that it is easier to propose this measure in the council than in other places.
But for her, with a little inventiveness, this measure can still be implemented in other places.
Source: BFM TV
