British employers who are desperate to recruit and retain Gen Z employees are offering early finish Fridays as a way to fill vacant roles amid the shortage of staff, as reported by The Straits Times.
Adzuna, an online jobs portal reported a significant increase in postings offering shorter days on Fridays, which will allow employees to start their weekends a few hours earlier. Over a thousand job ads on the site are citing early-finish Friday in March compared to only 583 in the same month five years earlier.
Targeting Gen Zers
The perk tends to be targeted at junior staff with salaries starting at $30,000.Early-finish Fridays are more prominent in certain industries, such as in engineering with over 300 postings that are promoting the perk. Sales, information technology, and graduate positions also showed a significant increase of job postings with this perk.
How Do Job Seekers See Early-Finish Fridays
Companies that offer early-finish Fridays want to be seen as flexible when it comes to working hours, in which most job seekers find appealing. It also shows that the companies care about employees' well-being.
Today, a lot of companies are testing various measures, including a four-day workweek, to attract more employees to fill vacancies.
The reduction in working hours also means that staff can take an extra day off work when booking holidays and it will be counted as a half day.
Labor Shortage is Still There
Despite the changes in the terms and conditions in the labor industry in Britain, there remains to be a staff shortage.
There are fewer people in the workforce compared to before the pandemic, which makes Britain the only Group of Seven advanced economy not to have recovered to pre-Covid19 levels.
In March, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt removed the lifetime allowance on British pension savings to attract older workers back into the job market.
However, there are still some companies that remain skeptical of the value of using benefits to attract younger staff.
The idea of a shorter workweek has gained traction in recent years, as people seek a better work-life balance and employers look for ways to improve productivity and job satisfaction. In Britain, there has been a growing movement to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours, with no loss of pay.
Proponents of the shorter workweek argue that it could lead to increased productivity, improved mental health, and a more sustainable work-life balance. However, critics argue that it could lead to reduced economic growth and a decrease in competitiveness.
Several companies in Britain have already implemented a shorter workweek, with positive results. For example, the Wellcome Trust reduced its workweek to four days while maintaining the same pay, and saw an increase in productivity and job satisfaction among its employees.
While a nationwide shift to a shorter workweek is still uncertain, it is clear that the idea is gaining momentum and could be a viable option for improving work-life balance and productivity in the UK.
Related article: 4-Day Work Week Gaining Momentum in Wales; Will the US Follow Suit?
