BC Business
A company in B.C.'s Lake Country claims that it's the first Canadian business to move to a permanent, four-day, 32-hour workweek without cutting pay or benefits.
The Beelineweb team is moving to four days a week.
A company in B.C.’s Lake Country claims that it’s the first Canadian business to move to a permanent, four-day, 32-hour workweek without cutting pay or benefits.
Beelineweb, a boutique provider of online marketing and SEO services in the Okanagan Valley municipality, has made 20-percent-shorter workweeks the new standard for its 14 employees.
Economists and researchers have long predicted a 32-hour workweek, but it’s mostly failed to catch on.
Beelineweb had been debating the switch for years, first testing shorter workweeks during a four-month trial in 2014. The company also ran similar tests in each of the following years, with favourable results.
“We think the time is right to question the legitimacy of the status quo,” Ched Gaglardi, co-founder and CEO of Beelineweb, said in a release. “We and other employers around the world are beginning to demonstrate that the traditional five-day workweek isn’t necessarily the most effective arrangement anymore.”
According to Beelineweb, it found that the shorter week resulted in better concentration from employees, as well as time for them to pursue healthy lifestyle choices, among other advantages.
“By shortening the workweek, our amazing team has adequate time for rest, recovery, family, and personal hobbies, which translates to better focus and happiness on the job,” added Beelineweb co-founder and president Lauren Gaglardi.
“It means our productivity stays high, our clients benefit from our very best work, and we reduce the company’s environmental footprint.”