The UK Will Try Out A 4-Day Workweek & So Many Companies Have Signed Up
Hello 3-day weekend!
While many global companies have been flirting with the idea of a four-day workweek for employees, several U.K. firms have actually signed up to make it a reality later this year.
Several different companies have agreed to give their employees one less workday per week, while continuing to pay them their full annual salary.
A company called 4 Day Week Global is spearheading the trial, with help from its U.K. branch, a think-tank called Autonomy and researchers at several universities such as Cambridge and Oxford as well as Boston College.
They're all working toward one common goal: to see if employees can maintain 100% of their productivity over just 80% of their time at the office over a period of six months.
The project is scheduled to run from June until December in the U.K., and if successful it could inspire many others to adopt the change permanently.
Are you working with a U.K. company?\n\nInterested in learning more about the #4DayWeek?\n\nNow you can join 50+ businesses in the U.S., Canada and Ireland trialing the 4DW as part of our pilot programme in 2022, and access training, mentoring, networking and research.\n\nGet in touch!https://twitter.com/4dayweek_global/status/1483016276008177666\u00a0\u2026— Joe O'Connor (@Joe O'Connor) 1642414947
"The four-day week challenges the current model of work and helps companies move away from simply measuring how long people are “at work”, to a sharper focus on the output being produced. 2022 will be the year that heralds in this bold new future of work," Joe O'Connor, Pilot Program Manager for 4 Day Week Global, told CNBC earlier this month.
While this trial scheme is gearing up for a launch in the U.K., other similar trials are set to be carried out in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.
Metro UK reported that in Spain and Scotland, trials of four-day workweeks are also in the works.
Other companies have already made the shift themselves, such as Atom Bank, which garnered media attention in November after reducing its hourly workweek to 34 hours with no reduction in pay for its 430 staff members.
The Sun released a list of other UK-based companies making the same move, as well as those in the U.S. — such as the e-commerce start-up, Bolt — who have already experimented with the idea of four days of work and three days of rest per week.
We're crossing our fingers that this'll catch on!
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A CEO Is Offering New Employees $5K To Quit After 2 Weeks & It's Actually Making Them Stay
"It's a powerful thing for them to turn down the cash."
You've heard about companies switching to a four-day workweek in order to keep their staff, but would you believe that one firm is hanging onto its employees by offering them a bonus if they quit?
Trainual, a software company that specialized in onboarding programs, is doing just that by offering a $5,000 bonus to new employees who decide the job isn't for them within the first two weeks.
The company's CEO, Chris Ronzio, recently came out with the incentive and he says it's actually helped him find and keep the best talent at his firm, reported Fast Company.
"It's important to know really quickly if we've found the right people," Ronzio told Fast Company.
"If someone knows a week or two in that this is not their long-term place or position, it gets more expensive to replace them as they take on more work and responsibility," Ronzio said. "By offering new hires $5,000, we give them the opportunity to opt-out after two weeks if they have any sense of doubt."
Ronzio enacted the incentive back in May of 2020 and was offering new employees $2,500 to quit after two weeks if they didn't see themselves as a good fit in the company, reported Business Insider.
Since then, he's upped the amount to $5,000 and he says he hasn't had a single person take the offer to date.
He says he chose a two-week timeframe because losing an employee after that point would cost the business a lot more in terms of its investment.
As for those who decide to stay after the two weeks?
"It's a powerful thing for them to turn down the cash, opt-in, and commit," Ronzio said. "And it sets the stage for a great working relationship."
Ronzio actually borrowed the idea from Zappos, which offered its new employees $1,000 to quit a week into their role.
Given the success Zappos saw with the incentive, Ronzio decided to implement it too, and so far, it's worked out pretty great for Trainual.
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7 Companies On FlexJobs That Are Hiring In Canada If You're Looking For A New Job In 2022
Work remotely from the comfort of your own home!
Narcity may receive a small commission if you purchase something we recommend in this article, which was created by the Narcity Shop team. Items are in stock and prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time.
With the pandemic stretching out to what feels like forever, many companies across Canada are adopting the fully remote work model. For job hunters, this means more options for a dream job that doesn't require moving across the country.
One of the platforms pioneering the search is FlexJobs, a premium job site focused on curating jobs that are remote or have flexible hours. To access the roles, you'll need to get a membership and now until January 9, you can save 50% when you use the code NEWYEAR. You can try it out for a week for only $4.95.
Wondering what kind of employers are on FlexJobs? Here are seven of the coolest companies you can apply to work at right now.
Sony Interactive Entertainment
If you have experience in design, you could work on some really cool games at Sony Interactive Entertainment (the parent company of PlayStation). Right now, they're looking to fill a variety of roles including Motion Designer and Animator and Project Manager.
Apply On FLEXJOBS
Shopify
One of the fastest-growing tech companies, Shopify, was founded right at home in Ottawa. You can enjoy amazing benefits like unlimited PTO and wellness packages if you have experience as a software engineer or developer.
Apply On FLEXJOBS
Wealthsimple
Wealthsimple is a Toronto-based online personal finance platform that helps Canadians navigate their finances and investments. There are so many different openings right now ranging in experience and department. Apart from financial roles, some other vacancies include Recruiter, Client Experience Associate, and Editorial Art Director.
Apply On FLEXJOBS
Wattpad
Wattpad is another Toronto-based company that's an online platform for users to read and write stories. Currently, they're looking to fill a bunch of roles like Operations Manager, Sales and Marketing Assistant and Graphic Novel Editor.
Apply On FLEXJOBS
Affinity.co
Affinity.co is a startup that has created an elevated version of a CRM. Right now, they're currently hiring a remote Freelance Marketing Copywriter to help craft content for their blog and looking for someone with three to five years experience as a content marketer or B2B copywriter.
Apply On FLEXJOBS
Yelp
If you have a knack for all things administrative, then you might be perfect for the Executive Assistant or Departmental Administrative Assistant positions at Yelp. The company offers a ton of perks like gym subsidies.
Apply On FLEXJOBS
Khan Academy
Working for a nonprofit can be extremely fulfilling, especially when it's a free online learning platform that makes education accessible like Khan Academy. The company is currently looking for a Senior Product Designer, Frontend Engineer, Senior Data Analyst and more.
Apply On FLEXJOBS
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This Tiny UK Island Is Looking For A King Or Queen To Reign Over Its Pub & Ancient Castle
"Landlord, Pub Manager and King/Queen of Piel" would look pretty great on a resume...
Have you always wanted a job title that makes you sound like a ruler from Game of Thrones?
You might want to throw your hat in the ring for a new job posting on Piel, a tiny island in the middle of Morecambe Bay in the U.K.
The island's only business, the Ship Inn, is hiring a new landlord, pub manager and monarch to reign supreme over the 50-acre plot, which is also home to a 14th-century castle (although it's worth noting that the monarch title is only symbolic).
The castle is a bit of a fixer-upper (i.e. it's falling apart), but local tradition holds that whoever runs the pub will also rule the entire island. The landlord gets to be the King or Queen of Piel — once they've completed a little ritual involving a helmet, a sword and getting doused with a bucket of alcohol.
The council in nearby Barrow-in-Furness has launched a search for the next person to run Piel Island, and it sounds like a sweet gig if you don't mind the isolation.
The island hosts fishing trips and seal and bird-watching tours each year, so the Ship Inn gets plenty of visitors to keep the landlord busy. It's also a beautiful spot to live, with stunning views of the ocean and the nearby Lake District.
"Even if you're pissed out of your head the views from Piel are pretty amazing," local tour guide John Murphy told The Guardian. "I must have slept on every blade of grass on that island, drunk or sober, and I just love it."
With an endorsement like that, who wouldn't want the job?
But it does have its drawbacks, including unpredictable weather, long hours, inconsistent access to land and loneliness, according to Murphy.
"You can't just nip across to Tesco for a loaf of bread when you're on Piel Island," Murphy said. "You'll need to have dedication and a strong passion for isolation and peace and quiet. It takes a special personality."
Murphy might sound like the perfect heir to the throne of Piel, but at 73, he says he's too old to take on the role.
The Barrow Borough Council is looking for someone to run the place for 10 years. They didn't say how much it pays, but it would be hard to beat the perks.
According to the island's website, past kings have had "Knights of Piel" in their service, and at one point the island even had its own prime minister, mayor and full royal family.
The whole "king" thing dates back to the late 1400s, when Lambert Simnel, a pretender to the throne of England, briefly landed on the island with his rebel army.
Simnel got his butt kicked in a huge battle with the real king just a few days later, and monarchy is likely to have begun as a "slightly mocking homage to this event."
So if you've always wanted to rule your own island — or to be part of a centuries-old inside joke — this is your chance!
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