Uniqlo to trial four day week for staff

Would you work longer hours for a three day weekend?

Fast Retailing, parent company of Japanese fashion manufacturer Uniqlo, is introducing the opportunity for staff to work four days a week. Starting in October, the retailer will be cutting down the average work week for some 10,000 employees in order to pilot a programme which looks at the benefits of work-life balance.

“Regional employees” will be given the option of working ten hour days and having an extra day free, in a bid to promote staff satisfaction. The issue of work-life balance is a recurring one in today’s current climate, with more and more business realising the benefits of promoting a healthy work-leisure ratio. Amazon was recently attacked in a harsh exposé which highlighted a complete lack of employee satisfaction due to hostile and rigorous work environments.

The new programme is designed to offer workers the chance to spend more time at home, often taking care of elderly parents—a growing problem in Japan, where many employees are forced to leave work early to look after relatives.