Namibia will become the second African country, and one of only a handful worldwide, to trial the 4-day work week in a groundbreaking move towards redefining the traditional workweek.
The initiative aims to explore innovative ways of enhancing work-life balance, boosting employee productivity, increasing revenue, and ultimately creating a more sustainable and inclusive work environment.
The pilot program, set to kick off in April 2024, will run for a period of six months, with participation from a diverse range of industries and leading businesses in Namibia. This initiative will be spearheaded by 4 Day Week in partnership with its Country Partner, Jonas Ileka representing Pulse HR Network Namibia.
Commenting on the rollout of the 4-day week trial, Ileka exclusively told Business Express: “We are super excited to be spearheading this pioneering initiative which aims to assess the feasibility and potential benefits of transitioning to a shorter workweek. Since the recent announcement of the trial, the response from employers and employees has been overwhelming and positive. Companies are enquiring how they can take part in trial and employees are generally excited and eager to know how the trial will work and when it will start. We have a structured rollout plan which has already kick-off with consultations with relevant stakeholders including government, employer representatives, labour unions, and other key stakeholders. Moreover, we will work closely with the Namibia Employer’s Federation, researchers from Namibian institutions of higher learning and an Advisory Panel composed of top experts, to successfully implement the pilot programme.”
Companies will have the flexibility to be innovative in their approach to reduce the worktime by working with employees to agree on the day of the week that they will be off. This will enable them to decide what is best suited to their individual needs while ensuring alignment with business requirements.
Ileka added “Key to the 4-day week is the 100:80:100 model, which aims to enable companies to generate 100% of output in 80% of the time while continuing to pay employees 100% of their salaries. This draws on the principle of Parkinson’s law which states that work stretches to fill the time allocated to it.”
According to Dale Whelehan, the CEO of 4 Day Week Global, when it comes to making the four-day week work for everyone, 4 Day Week is the world’s leading expert. Participating employers can expect worldclass support including training, advise and other tools and resources to ensure that they get maximum value from the trial.
Ileka also noted that more information will be shared in the coming weeks and the launch date of the trial will be announced soon.
4 Day Week Global was founded in New Zealand by entrepreneurs and philanthropists Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart following the world-renowned success of their pioneering trial of the 4 day week in Perpetual Guardian.
Since then, 4 Day Week Global has engaged with numerous governments and thousands of companies from a variety of industries all over the world to make the permanent transition to reduced-hour, output-focused working.
In 2023, 4 Day Week Global formed a partnership with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang to further develop the global consultancy and broaden the research. The non-profit has also just released an online Foundation Course where anyone can sign up and learn how to design their own trial.
4 Day Week Global’s ambition is to generate a million years of new free time by leading the global movement for a shorter working week, making it a reality all over the world.