When truly massive enterprises like Microsoft start talking about improving staff productivity via the counter-intuitive path of shorter hours, you know the idea’s gaining traction. The dawn of the reduced work-week is some way off, cautions Vern Weitzman, CTO and founder of Cira Apps - but there are simpler ways to realise improved corporate performance now.
Read more from Vern Weitzman on quick productivity wins.
“There will be revolutionary changes at some point. “But in the short term, I think some of the greatest improvements will come from simply improving the device we all have in our pockets: the smartphone,” said Vern Weitzman, CTO and founder of San Jose, Calif.-based Cira Apps. Apps and solutions that build on its current capabilities leave us lots of quick wins when it comes to reducing work time.
For example, if all your company’s contacts are synced up from day one on the job and you’re on the sales team, you’re never going to get interrupted by robocalls or other distractions. “Simple solutions like this can add up — and ultimately, free up time — if an enterprise was looking to go down to a 4-day work week,” he added…
However, he is not optimistic about a four-day week any time soon.”
The curtailing of excessive hours is probably less urgent to companies not part of Japan’s unique business culture. Still, a nimble enterprise can get its staff to that elusive work-life balance faster, if other nimble companies can give them the tools to do so.