Cimpress, a global mass customisation company, has rolled out an initiative called Recharge Fridays which gives employees a half day off on every Friday.

The initiative also happens to make its work week 4.5 days long in lieu of 5 days. This is in addition to their regular paid time off (PTOs). 

The company’s aim is to give employees an opportunity to look after their well-being and encourage work life harmony. Using this time, employees can spend their time doing whatever they want to recharge their batteries. 

“However, the recharge Friday is yet not applicable on all business units given the vastness of our business structure and requirements,” the company said in a statement.

Also, there is no mandate on how anyone's day should look like i.e. saying these are the exact 4-5 hours that anyone should be working. They could either take the second half off or split their hours during the day. Friday is a no-meeting day which helps employees plan their day in a better manner, as per their convenience. 

“We consider ourselves a progressive organisation that’s ahead of the curve when it comes to employee policies. We were one of the first companies to announce that all our employees would work remotely indefinitely. We believe, employees are more productive and engaged when they can devote time and attention to activities that bring them joy. Giving an extra half day off will help our employees get some much-deserved recharge time to pursue what they love and grow,” said Ameya Sane, HR director at Cimpress India.

Sane added that it is initiatives like these that have kept their attrition at less than half of the industry standard. 

Experiments with a shorter work week have started happening globally. Research indicates employees report lower symptoms of stress and an improved sense of well-being. Productivity of employees remains the same even with fewer work hours, or actually improves due to better mental clarity. Shorter work weeks enable employees to feel less distracted - they tend to spend lesser time taking breaks, which improves efficiency. A shorter work week also results in less absenteeism.