Hartford Business Journal

30 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | May 23, 2022 metric [employee satisfaction], to make up for it," Dowd said. A 2014 study by work management company Workfront found that employees spend about 45% of their time at work performing primary job duties, 40% in meetings and 14% sending and responding to emails. While diversions are a normal part of work life, there's evidence that a shorter workweek forces employers to cut out some of the superfluous activities from employees' schedules, spurring productivity, according to the report. There's also a practical concern: Once employees receive a benefit, it's difficult to take it away, Dowd said. Employers need to be sure they're comfortable with the decision before pulling the trigger. Dowd said he's seen companies on the West Coast experiment with four- day workweeks. He's also attending an upcoming conference on the topic. "I think a lot of trends, both in employment and in society, start on the West Coast where they germinate and start working their way east," Dowd said. Silicon Valley-based consulting company Strategy and Rest is launching a course on designing a four-day workweek, drawing on research from founder Alex Soojung- Kim Pang, author of "The Distraction Addiction." Among other things, he argues that a four-day workweek eliminates structural barriers that make it harder for women to advance in their careers. In September, e-commerce technology company Bolt announced it was offering a four-day workweek. Meanwhile, New York-based crowdfunding platform Kickstarter began testing the concept early this year. Still, manufacturers that operate in the global economy have to compete with companies overseas, where employees may work longer hours, DiPentima said. In European countries, workers might put in extra hours during the year in exchange for taking off three weeks in August, he said. While that concept isn't common in the U.S., the idea of cramming more work into fewer days is based on a similar belief that time off is as important as time worked. In Connecticut, which is an expensive state to operate a business, companies value the skilled workforce, DiPentima said. But the benefits of that workforce are only realized when employees are content. "We've always been very focused on employees in the United States, especially Connecticut where we're not a low-cost state, so we compete on the skills, innovation and expertise of our employees," DiPentima said. "So we want to make sure they're as productive as they can be, and as happy as they can be." A shorter workweek can also make companies more environmentally friendly, Dowd said, by reducing their carbon footprint – for example, by fewer workers commuting to a physical work site. THANK YOU to everyone who turned into the April 12th CTrides Webinar "Getting Employees Back to the Workplace in the Topsy-Turvy World of COVID" You can find a recording of the webinar on CTrides YouTube Channel. A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPEAKERS AND MODERATOR! Moderator: Speakers: John Dankosky CT Mirror's Director of Events Chris DiPentima President & CEO | CBIA Orlena Cowan-Bailey SHRM-SCP, Executive Director for CTSHRM Richard W. Andreski Bureau Chief, Bureau of Public Transportation, CTDOT PRESENTED BY: EVENT PARTNERS: MEDIA PARTNERS: • Chamber of Commerce Northwest Connecticut, Inc. • Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce • MetroHartford Alliance • CT SHRM • CT Mirror • Waterbury Chamber • CBIA CONNECT WITH CTrides Subscribe to our Newsletter // ctrides.com/contact/ Follow us on Facebook // CTrides Follow us on Instagram // ctrides_insta Connect on LinkedIn // ctrides Purchase a group subscription for your team or entire organization. Get access to HBJ for your entire team! EMAIL>> CIRCULATION@HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION

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