NZ company Perpetual Guardian to trial three-day weekends every week

  • 08/02/2018

In an ideal world, would you have a long weekend every single week?

That's what one New Zealand trust company, Perpetual Guardian, will be trialling for six weeks.

Starting in March, the business will roll out a four-day work week across the business, without changing the salary or making the days longer.

Founder Andrew Barnes told The AM Show "it's the right thing to do".

"I think in today's world it's very difficult for people to juggle both home and work in the office.

"We want people to be the best they can while they're in the office but also the best at home.

"It's the natural solution."

Mr Barnes says his 200-strong team will still have the same output expectation as before.

"We've put that to the team and what they've now got to do is work out how they deliver the same amount of work in a week over four days.

"That means work smarter, work cleverer, change the systems, change the processes.

"It's quite sneaky isn't it?"

The reaction from staff has nearly brought Mr Barnes to tears.

"We've got single mothers in the company who are saying this is going to change their world."

"And I'd like to think it will change everybody's world because it means whether you've got kids or whether you haven't got kids, you can contribute more outside the office."

He's optimistic the trial will be a success.

"I've got my fingers firmly crossed and I think it will.

"The reaction has been very mature from the staff.

"I think they really want this."

Newshub.