Since 2020, Manpower Serbia has been operating as an independent cluster for Southeast Europe, providing the opportunity for the implementation of more flexible business models. That is why Manpower Serbia launched its pilot project entailing a 4-day working week in October 2021, with the goal of reducing working hours to have happier, healthier and more engaged staff.
The research was conducted during the pilot project which served as a basis for the decision to be made on the long-term implementation of the project based on measurable data. Consequently, Manpower Serbia is pleased to announce that the four-day working week project has been adopted permanently and that the process of adapting to the new business model will be constant in the increasingly dynamic business environment.
Why did we adopt the four-day working week concept?
- Greater employee motivation, agility, mental health, responsibility, higher quality of service, better performance and process digitization are the keywords of the new business chapter of Manpower SEE.
The results of research and analysis in Serbia during the pilot project indicate the following:
- To greater employee engagement and productivity, where 90.5% of employees stated that they are empowered to perform their work activities more efficiently;
- A better work-life balance, where 97% of employees noted a positive impact on their work-life balance;
- 91% of employees strongly see their future career path in Manpower SEE (compared to 75% before the pilot project was launched);
- That the new working regime will also contribute to the environmental aspect of business because energy consumption will be reduced;
- Improved appeal for new staff;
- During the fifth non-working day, one member of each team will be at the office to ensure business continuity with clients and partners;
- Other companies motivated to launch similar campaigns with their employees in focus.
The shorter life expectancy of companies, higher flexibility and turnover and higher value of the company’s intellectual property over material assets, have created experiences for which there is no clear business history. Employees have been increasingly looking for a reason why they are doing something (purpose) and this requires the company to have additional capacities. Previously, the leadership position was all about clearly defined and specific roles, and today, the focus is on the authenticity of leaders and companies. Experience shows that traditional companies are losing the battle for young talent because the global trend is that young people want to work more in startups and technology companies. Every company now has a task to find a personalized way to become an attractive employer.
“At a time when human capital is becoming more important and valuable, we have a responsibility not only to take care of our employees and processes but also the employees and processes of a large number of other companies. As leaders in our industry, we prioritize story doing and are constantly creating waves of positive change. We are looking forward to sharing the experience generated from the four-day-working week project with other legal entities to move the labour market of Serbia and the region closer to the most competitive European markets.” said Aleksandar Hangimana, Managing Partner, Manpower SEE.
“Work processes are becoming more complex because companies have to deal with many new topics. The keywords here are transformation, CEO 2, psychological security, inclusion, cultural intelligence, and the impact of the company’s operations on the business environment. Guided by our care of employees, and in the spirit of innovation, Manpower Serbia has made a bold step forward towards a four-day working week, which will hopefully make other legal entities consider reengineering their work model.” said Aleksandar Plavšin, Head of Marketing and Communications, Manpower Serbia.
“From a legal point of view, the four-day working week project is beneficial for all employees, since, from the employer’s point of view, Manpower Serbia gives its employees greater rights than the rights defined by legal provisions, with the employees retaining all their rights stemming from a five-day working week“, said Srdjan Botorić, Head of Legal Services, Manpower Serbia.
“We are witnessing an increase in the overall fluctuation rate, which worries us and makes us run a long race to attract new workers and keep the existing ones. The answer to this is very short – the quality of organizational culture, company values and employer’s authenticity. All of these features are associated with the four-day-working week project.” said Lana Mučalov, Regional Research Manager, Assert International.