This summer, New World Group will pilot a 4.5-day work week to provide more flexible work models including one work-from-home day to adapt to the new normal in the workplace. To help its employees maintain a healthy work-life balance and improve their physical and mental health, the Group announced its family-friendly measures, including “Summer Fridays”, a work from home day and the adoption of a hybrid work model.
The “Summer Fridays” initiative will depend on the business nature and specific operations of each subsidiary including New World Development, K11 and NWS Corporate Office. Eligible employees will be entitled to a half-day leave every Friday with no adjustment to their salary. Additionally, they may also opt to work remotely once a week. To ensure that employees maintain high efficiency while working from home, the Group will keep in close contact with them and provide them with technological and technical support.
These measures will be implements between July and September across different business units and will be evaluated afterwards. For any employee who cannot enjoy the “Summer Fridays” initiative due to work reasons, the Group will make alternative flexible work arrangements to help them achieve a health work-life balance.
New World Group joins other large multinational organisations that have introduced measures to shorten the work week to help employees achieve a healthy work-life balance. In the UK, a large-scale trial of 70 companies is currently being held where they are piloting a four-day week with companies across the US, New Zealand and elsewhere holding similar schemes.
Companies that have adopted this approach have seen some measures of success with improvements to employee mental and physical well-being as well as business productivity
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
