Workplace trends

Forget a four-day workweek, some companies are demanding six

As companies look to increase profits and drive productivity, a six-day workweek is becoming a reality for some Americans. Samsung has already introduced an extra day to the workweek for its executives, and a new report by ResumeBuilder indicates that this trend may be gaining momentum. Based on the responses of 800 companies, the survey showed that one in ten executives plan to mandate a six-day workweek in 2025 and that business leaders overwhelmingly believe longer hours lead to increased revenue. In fact, one in six executives feel employees should work more than 40 hours a week, and an overwhelming 76% think that adding a workday would boost productivity. Career experts warn that enforcing longer workweeks might damage company culture, which, in the long run, could actually harm efficiency.

Domestic abuse affects the workplace, too

Domestic violence has started to be considered a workplace issue as more companies recognize the impact it can have on the work environment. UK research found that domestic abuse costs billions of dollars each year due to time off work and reduced productivity, and according to the Canadian Labour Congress website, upwards of 80% of domestic violence victims report that these experiences harm their performance. The result? Organizations are starting to step in. Companies like Unilever, Accor, and Vodafone have adopted specific policies for domestic abuse victims, and L’Oréal is going as far as relocating victims to different work locations and providing them with new phones and email addresses. With companies promising to prioritize employee well-being, there’s a growing call to address domestic abuse as a key component of this strategy.

The AI corner

AI is already changing job descriptions

While 2.6% of employers reported job cuts between July and February in response to generative AI, 2.8% reported adding jobs because of it, according to new Census data. Rather than eliminating jobs, AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and numerous other sector-specific platforms are being integrated across various professions to cut manual tasks and increase efficiency. For instance, physicians are using AI programs to automate note-taking, releasing them from the burden of what the medical field terms “documentation burnout.” Similarly, law firms are evolving their work thanks to AI tools that can sift through thousands of document pages and uncover key results in a more scalable manner. This integration of AI across professions is not just increasing job efficiency – according to AI coaches (yes that’s a thing now,) it’s also improving job satisfaction by automating the most mundane aspects of work.

AI is coming to a dating app near you

With 79% of college students preferring in-person connections over dating apps, per a recent study by Axios, online dating platforms are turning to AI technology to try and win back this demographic. Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of Bumble, is exploring the idea of  ‘AI dating concierges’, which would serve as virtual representatives for users when initiating online conversations. Other AI-infused dating platforms like YourMove.AI help users enhance their dating profiles, and chatbots like Vlar facilitate conversation ice-breakers. While employers are hopeful that a better experience could increase popularity among younger singles, the introduction of AI to these platforms has sparked widespread skepticism, with many expressing discomfort with the idea of AI playing a significant role in their romantic lives.

Are you supporting the parents on your team?

By monday.com

Parents today make up roughly 40% of the workforce, and the share of American mothers in the workforce is at a record high, per recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between expansions of paid leave and child-care subsidies that started during the pandemic, the tight labor market that has made jobs more attractive, and pandemic-induced shifts that normalized remote teams and flexible hours, work has become more accessible to parents.

And yet, working parents still face a challenging balancing act: from the mental load of managing a household and helping their kids with school to strongly delivering in their careers and trying to advance, little time remains to focus on their own health and well-being. In fact, The State of Working Parents Study by Cleo found that working parents lose millions of hours each week to stress, anxiety, and caregiving, leading many to walk away from their jobs altogether.

This is a real shame because parents have already developed many of the skills needed to be effective leaders, including empathy, problem-solving, time management, communication, and resiliency. As one Forbes article put it, “The best leaders today are caregivers, and yet we’re losing our best leaders to caregiving.”

So, as a manager, how can you effectively support the parents on your team? 

Avoid a culture of presenteeism

Working parents need to divide their attention between their work and their children, which often leads to fear that they’ll be seen as less committed to their jobs and thereby less valuable team members. That’s why it’s so important to avoid a culture in which more hours at work are rewarded as a sign of greater contribution and productivity. Make it clear that as a leader, you care most about the quality of the work your employees deliver, not the amount of hours they spend on it.

Lead with trust and understanding

One of the greatest ways to support the parents on your team is to try and be flexible. Whether they need to clock in early or block off some time in the late afternoon to pick their kids up from school, do your best to be accommodating and understanding of their situations. Also, given that kids can be unpredictable at times, which may require a sudden trip home or an urgent doctor visit, trust that your team members will find the time to get their work done, even if it means working unusual hours.

Recognize the challenges

Acknowledge that working parents have a lot on their plates and that they may struggle with feelings of guilt – both that they can’t invest the same hours into their work that their coworkers who are not parents can and that they’re not able to give their kids enough attention due to an important meeting or a tight project deadline. So, give your team members space to be open with you about the challenges they’re navigating. Try to validate their feelings while making it clear that perfection is not the expectation in either domain. It can make a huge difference when you, as their manager, emphasize that you don’t believe they should feel guilty for making their families and well-being a priority.

Promote transparency

Encourage the parents on your team to block off time on their calendars for child-caring duties – whether they need to pick their kids up from school, take them to a doctor’s appointment, or anything else that requires them to disconnect for a bit – to send the message that it’s okay. What matters most is that there’s honesty and transparency between you and your team members and that they are comfortable being upfront about their responsibilities so that you can effectively plan and adjust when needed.

And if you have kids, be sure to lead by example by blocking off relevant time in your own calendar as well!

Respect their boundaries

Remember to ask your team members about their kids, while being understanding when they don’t want to talk about them. Whether it’s been a tough week at home or their child is going through a difficult time, things may feel sensitive, so be considerate about how they seem to respond when you check-in. If you get any sense that they’re not interested in discussing their kid(s) at that moment, respect their boundaries and don’t push them for information.

Convey your commitment

The returns on providing employees with childcare benefits can be as high as 425%, according to a new report by Boston Consulting Group, with corporations that prioritize childcare coverage seeing a surge in both popularity and employee retention. And while you likely don’t manage your company’s childcare offerings, there are ways for you to show your team members that you care about them and their families. Encourage your employees to plan time off with their loved ones and to clock off at reasonable hours to enable them to be present in their home lives. And, when possible, try to invite their families to team events to demonstrate your commitment.

On a similar note, if the parents on your team choose to share the names of their kids with you, do your best to remember them. Asking about their children by name can really go a long way in showing that you care.

Acknowledge milestones

For working parents, financial pressures are inherently greater. And while they’re often eager for raises and promotions, they’re also already stretched pretty thin, which can make it harder to put in more hours at work to prove themselves. So, try and take this into account when building growth and development paths on your team, and make sure to recognize professional and personal employee achievements. Whether it’s celebrating the completion of a long-term project or their child’s first birthday, address exciting milestones with your team members to help them feel seen and appreciated.

Water cooler chatter

Chinese supermarket chain, Pang Dong Lai, is introducing 10 days of ‘unhappy leave’ to their 7,000 employees. Rather than having to feign illness when they’re down, these workers can now simply cash in an ‘unhappy day’ when they feel low. The decision comes in response to the increasing rates of depression in the country.

Being online is not, in fact, ruining our lives. A new study by Oxford University analyzed data from 168 countries and found that people who actively use the internet report higher levels of life satisfaction and social well-being. The study did not specifically focus on social media, which is often considered the most harmful to our well-being, but researchers hope that their findings will encourage more nuanced discussions about the positive and negative aspects of the internet.

Question of the week

Last week’s answer: The Netherlands

This week’s question: What percent of hiring managers have ghosted candidates?

Just for laughs

Getting other people to weigh in – ruins it