KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Could your workweek be getting a little bit shorter? One business expert with the University of Tennessee thinks it might be a good idea.
An associate professor of management at UT’s Haslam College of Business started by explaining the five-day workweek comes from Henry Ford and the manufacturing industry more than 100 years ago. Timothy Munyon said it then spilled into office life; however, he said it’s obvious times have changed.
“The history of work, if you look at how we’ve structured work really over the last 120-plus years, it’s an artifact of some realities that were relevant in history but maybe not relevant today,” said Munyon. “When you look at the nature of the way that we actually do work it’s not always the best way for employees.”
That’s why Munyon said he’s passionate about improving the work-life balance for Americans across the nation. It’s also why he feels it may be wise for employers to consider changes like a four-day workweek, saying it can improve productivity, reduce burnout and increase respite.
“It’s about sustainability, actually helping people be well at work and thrive while also helping manage for the long run,” he said.
Munyon also adds this has become vital over the last couple of years as the world dealt with political unrest, the pandemic, and financial insecurity.
“One thing that employers can do is kind of build in a little bit more rest for their employees to recharge, it’s not business as normal,” he began. “If you look at things like base rates of things like burnout and depression in the population, we see spikes, and often they are non-work-related spikes, but employers can help employees better manage those stressors by giving them flexibility and a little more latitude at work.”
Munyon also said there must be a shift in the way employers think soon if they hope to slow down what’s been dubbed “The Great Resignation.” Throughout the pandemic, Munyon said more Americans than ever reevaluated what mattered to them, forcing some of them out of the workforce altogether. READ MORE...
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Not everyone is an expert in human resources or business management and there are terms used among professionals in these industries that could be useful to others whom are employed; emerging data on the four-day workweek calls attention to some terms used among management experts and the history of the American workweek.
Academics and business industry professionals are talking more about the four-day workweek and discussions have been happening for years. Tim Munyon, associate professor of management at UT Haslam College of Business, offered both a history lesson on the topic as well as what some of the terms used actually mean. Munyon also touched on some recent studies and academic literature aimed at not only employee productivity but also the historical effects.
Recently, the shortened American workweek became a trending topic among international media and on social media when a study out of Iceland called the four-day workweek a success and a California congressman introduced legislation to modify the workweek last summer that was endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus in December.
Terms definedBusiness researchers are finding that more companies are considering or switching to a results-only work environment, or ROWE that focuses on complete autonomy and accountability for outcomes only.A broader approach to ROWE some companies are taking includes flexible work practices or FWP, which have seen positive effects according to research prior to the coronavirus pandemic – and after – but meta-analyses (“studies of studies, as Munyon put it) on these practices are still being developed that aim to reduce or and bias.A peer-reviewed business research study published in late 2017 explored the different avenues of FWP and how companies attract potential employees – and keep them – utilizing FWPs. Overall, FWPs produce positive results, according to the meta-analyses, and Munyon summarizes this when asked about FWPs and ROWEs. READ MORE...
