Working three hours a day less in summer: ‘Employees thought it was a joke’ | Work

In the month of August, Den Dekker and her colleagues from Paperdork work three hours less every day.’I close my laptop at 2 p.m. every day. And that’s what our entire team does,” she writes on LinkedIn. The entrepreneur devised this experiment together with her partners because of the quiet holiday period. ‘We are a company that always wants to be reachable for their customers. Giving one whole day off a week is not an option. So then we thought: what we can do is experiment with giving a few hours a day off.’

When the trio introduce the test to the rest of the team, the employees at first can’t believe it. “‘Three hours a week you mean?” that’s what the reactions sounded like. Some thought it was a joke, or asked if there was a catch,” says Den Dekker. “But no, there isn’t: they get the same salary, for three hours less work. And people who are on vacation in August need to record fewer hours.”

The need for the experiment stems from Den Dekker’s own frustration, from when she was employed herself. “I also worked for a boss, and hated having to sit out my time. That is such a shame, especially in the summer when the weather is nice.” This got her thinking. “What can I do now as an entrepreneur to prevent my employees from ending up in that position? This experiment is one such example of what I could have appreciated from my boss at the time.”

Partly for this reason, the entrepreneur has shared the initiative of her startup on LinkedIn. “I would like to inspire other employers. Personally, I think that many companies can think rather old-fashioned in such situations. Often they only look at the costs. Yes, staff still cost the same, while they work less. But you can also turn it around: they just do their job, charge at the same time and are satisfied and grateful.”

Den Dekker’s post evokes many reactions. “I didn’t expect it to cause so much,” says the entrepreneur. “We have received so many positive responses. That does us good, because with this experiment we also try to be innovative and create a nice company for our employees. These reactions confirm that we have taken the right step with this.”

So it looks like the experiment is going to become a tradition. Although Den Dekker does not yet know in what form. “We think it’s important that the staff is also enthusiastic at the end of the month. We have now been on the road for two weeks, but notice that the test is experienced differently: some employees really enjoy it, others indicate that they are still busy because they ‘have’ to finish their work before 2 p.m. That is not the intention.”

At the end of the month, the entrepreneur will evaluate together with her partners. “So the big question is: is it good? Or does it put more pressure on you? Perhaps the conclusion is that next year we will work not three, but two hours less per day in August.”

But before they even draw any conclusions, Den Dekker and her colleagues close their laptops for two and a half weeks at 2 p.m. “That is difficult, it feels very strange. We often have to say to each other: come on guys, close! It helps that as a company we have a boat – we are located on the Utrecht canals – so we all end the day on the water together. Especially with this nice weather that is very nice.”

Although this is not an obligation, the entrepreneur emphasizes. “If people prefer to go home, that is of course also possible. They can allocate those free hours as they wish. For me personally it feels like a kind of holiday month.”

This article was produced in collaboration with The Best Social Media.

Watch all our work and career videos here: